Ryanair has continued to defend its right to hold a minority stake in Aer Lingus by legally challenging a UK Office of Fair Trading investigation. Ryanair claims the regulator has waited too long to investigate its 30% stake in its Irish rival some four years after it was bought.
The OFT says it needs to investigate whether Ryanair’s stake gives it “material influence” over a competitor’s commercial policy in a way that could lessen competition and raise prices.
In June 2007, the European Commission halted Ryanair proposed takeover of Aer Lingus. Because Ryanair tried to overturn the decision, the OFT was forced to waited until the dispute was resolved at the EU level before starting its own investigation.