The Irish Independent has today reported that Ryanair is likely to feed passengers to the Aer Lingus long-haul network as part of what would be an unprecedented formal agreement between the two former arch rivals, according to IAG chief executive Willie Walsh.
The proposed deal could see Ryanair feeding passengers from its extensive network at Dublin to Aer Lingus routes serving North America.
Mr Walsh said IAG remains open to the feeder idea with Ryanair and that there's "no objection to it". Speaking yesterday, the IAG chief executive said, "If customers want to connect from a Ryanair flight, we're very happy to do that. There were some commercial issues, but I think it's workable."
The IAG chief executive said he doesn't agree with Mr O'Leary's prediction that legacy carriers such as British Airways or Lufthansa will eventually cull their short-haul networks.
Last month, Mr O'Leary told the Irish Independent that Ryanair will trial interlining at London Stansted and Barcelona later this summer. He said that would allow passengers travelling from cities that may not have a major Ryanair route network, such as Belfast, to connect to other Ryanair services at Stansted to onwards destinations.
IAG, which also owns British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, acquired Aer Lingus last year for €1.36bn. Ryanair had tried three times to buy Aer Lingus but was blocked by Brussels.
Source: www.businessworld.ie
