ROME – Ryanair (NASDAQ: RYAAY) is not interested in slots due to be ceded by ITA Airways following its integration with Lufthansa, the Irish low-cost airline’s CEO said in an interview published on Friday.
Eddie Wilson told Italian daily La Stampa that slots on offer as part of concessions agreed with EU antitrust regulators for the deal “have constraints, are not at the right times, or are too expensive.”
Lufthansa is due to buy 41% of state-owned ITA, the successor to bankrupt Alitalia, with a view of acquiring full control at a later stage.
The European Commission gave conditional approval to the operation in July, after Lufthansa and Italy agreed to cede Italian short-haul routes to one or two rivals.
The German airline had said it was in talks with Easyjet and Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea.
(Source: Reuters)
Kevin Putnam is a financial journalist and editor based in New York. He specializes in editing news and analysis related to U.S. stock market.
