The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced last Friday that Ryanair must reduce its shareholding in Aer Lingus from 29.8% to 24.8% as originally ordered.

 

The CMA said it could find no material change in circumstances that would convince it to make any other recommendation within the scope of the Ryanair/Aer Lingus inquiry.

 

In February, Ryanair requested that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) re-examine its decision to require it to sell its 29.8% stake in Aer Lingus Group plc (Aer Lingus) down to 5%. This followed a judgment from the Court of Appeal dismissing Ryanair’s legal challenge to this decision.

 

 

 

NO CHANGE – DECISION STANDS

The CMA added: “At that time, Ryanair argued that IAG’s proposed bid for Aer Lingus and the period of time that has elapsed since the decision was originally made by the Competition Commission in its report in August 2013, constitute a material change of circumstances and that the CMA no longer had the power to impose a divestment remedy on Ryanair.”

 

The CMA said that it did subsequently invite submissions from interested parties, but after due consideration of the responses from Aer Lingus, IAG and the Irish government – plus further submissions from Ryanair – decided there is no material change in circumstances or special reason not to proceed to implement the remedies set out in its original report.

 

Having said that, the CMA says it will now consider further responses before taking its final decision.

 

 

‘DIVESTMENT REMEDY’

Simon Polito, Chairman of the Ryanair/Aer Lingus inquiry group, said: “Our provisional view is that the circumstances around IAG’s proposed bid are consistent with the findings in our report.

 

“As the decisions in our report made clear, without any action to reduce its shareholding, Ryanair would remain a significant hurdle to any merger, because it has an incentive as a competitor of Aer Lingus and, by its shareholding, the ability to hinder Aer Lingus from implementing its own commercial strategy.

 

“We have carefully considered submissions from Ryanair and others and taken into account all the relevant circumstances, including the fact that the IAG bid is conditional on receiving an irrevocable commitment from Ryanair.

 

“Having done so, our provisional view is that neither recent events nor the time that has passed since our final report are reasons not to implement the divestment remedy.”