Ethiad Airways shows interest in Aer Lingus Stake

Ethiad Airways announced recently that they may buy 25% of Aer Lingus stake, which are presently held by the Irish Government. It further said that though the government hasn’t approached them till date, however if they do then the airline would be keen to look into the same.

In a major expansion attempt the airline since the past few months has been buying minor stakes in Virgin Australia, Aer Lingus and Air Berlin.

James Hogan, the chief executive of Ethiad earlier this year has stated that they are aiming to expand Ethiad Airways flight network in Asian Subcontinent and in specifically in India. He further stated that several Indian carriers have already touched base with him in regards to their expansion plan. And now they are assessing the affect of the new Foreign Direct Investment laws.

Ethiad Airways is not the first Gulf based airline to aim for such expansions. Since the beginning of this year several Gulf based airlines have ventured into alliances and codeshare agreements. This trend was first started by Qatar Airways by joining oneworld alliance.