Irish public against Aer Lingus takeover by Ryanair

According to a survey commissioned by Aer Lingus, two out of three Irish citizens are opposed to a takeover of the airline by low-cost carrier Ryanair.

More than 1,000 people were polled by the firm TNS-MRBI, which found that only one in four respondents favoured the proposition.

Last week, Aer Lingus executives formally rejected Ryanair’s €748 million bid to acquire the carrier. Ryanair currently holds a 29 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, and the government owns 25 per cent.

When survey respondents were asked if a monopoly controlled by Ryanair would be good for the travelling public, 65 per cent said that it would not. Nearly 50 per cent said that the monopoly would lead to fare increases. Only 15 per cent said they believed the Ryanair deal would result in lower airfares.

Slightly more than half of those surveyed said they did not believe Ryanair would honour its commitment to reduce airfares, create jobs and protect the Aer Lingus brand.

The Aer Lingus director of corporate affairs, Enda Corneille, said the survey results demonstrate the public’s desire for choice when travelling from Ireland.

The TNS-MRBI survey of 1,015 Irish adults was conducted from 11-16 December by telephone.

www.aerlingus.com