http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/transport-and-tourism/ryanair-s-aer-lingus-bid-blocked-1.1254989

Ryanair added it had “met every competition concern raised” by the EU during the process and provided “irrevocable commitments from not one, but two, upfront buyers to eliminate all competitive overlaps” between the airlines, as IAG and Flybe stepped in to take over a number of routes.

Ryanair airline says it will appeal the decision in the European courts, as it is “being held to a much higher standard than any other EU airline” and described the decision as political and unfair.

"This decision is clearly a political one to meet the narrow, vested interests of the Irish government and is not based on competition law," The airline’s head of communications Robin Kiely added.

Aer Lingus's shares were 5 per cent lower at €1.27 in lunchtime trade, when Ryanair's shares were unchanged at €5.67.

Ryanair, Europe's biggest budget airline, was told last month that it had one last chance to submit measures to ensure the proposed €694 million merger did not reduce competition.Ryanair's latest offer to the Commission included ceding 43 routes to Flybe and hand to British Airways the routes Aer Lingus operates from London's Gatwick Airport.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ryanair-planning-sale-of-aer-lingus-slots-1.755056

Ryanair 'planning' sale of Aer Lingus slotsAer Lingus could lose all but four of its landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport under a proposal being put together by Ryanair as part of its ongoing attempts to take full control of the airline.Ryanair has offered to sell 20 of Aer Lingus's 24 landing slots at the UK's busiest airport to British Airways as part of an agreement aimed at allaying the European Commission's concerns over competition if it gives the airline the go ahead to take over Aer Lingus.Ryanair, which owns 29.8 per cent of Aer Lingus, renewed its €700m takeover bid in June, five years after the Commission blocked its first attempt.

 In a "statement of objections released last month the competition authority said the merged carrier would hold a more dominant position than five years ago and would have an effective stranglehold on over 40 routes.A determination to change that landscape to allow the takeover proceed has prompted Ryanair to seek deals with both British Airways and the smaller carrier Flybe. The dramatic overhaul of routes between Ireland an Britain would see as many as six British Airways planes and four from Flybe, based in the Republic.With British Airways operating 20 flights into Heathrow from Irish airports on a daily basis, Ryanair would then be in a position to argue that that a merged Ryanair/Aer Lingus was no longer the dominant carrier on those routes.A separate part of the same takeover process being planned would see the smaller carrier Flybe operate flights to and from Ireland on 20 other routes where Ryanair and Aer Lingus currently both have services for at least three years. This move would remove the monopoly any merged Ryanair-Aer Lingus operation would have an those routs.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324662404578329791069289204.html

http://www.ryanair.com/doc/news/2012/aerlingus_20120619.pdf