Aer Lingus seeks institutional investor backing over Ryanair

Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller has said he has institutional investors lined up to take a stake of up to 10% should the Government release its 25% stake onto the open market. Mueller doubts that the European Commission would approve Ryanair’s €694m takeover. In a letter to shareholders, Aer Lingus said: “Ryanair’s 2006 offer was prohibited by the European Commission on competition grounds, and your board believes that the reasons for prohibition are now even stronger than before: the number of routes that Ryanair would monopolise has sharply increased. Your board has received legal advice that the European Commission