Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told journalists during a news conference in Rome that the airline would be interested in a “majority stake, not a minority one” in Alitalia in the case of an acquisition but only if it decides to invest in the loss-making Italian airline.
Ryanair has expressed interest in the past in cooperating with Alitalia to provide short-haul traffic to feed Alitalia's long-haul network but it has not previously shown interest in purchasing the airline. But O'Leary said Ryanair would consider a bid for the entire airline once it was restructured by the administrators.