Ryanair has threatened to go to court if the European Commission blocks a renewed takeover bid for Aer Lingus in a ruling expected in early July.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “We believe the EC will block our bid because the Irish Government opposes it.”
He accused the EC of putting political considerations ahead of consumer interest.
“We will appeal against any prohibition,” said O’Leary. “We would not be surprised if the EC compelled us to sell our 25% stake in Aer Lingus [and then] we would see the EC in court.”
Ryanair has offered to offload two-thirds of Aer Lingus’s slots at Heathrow if its bid is allowed and a takeover succeeds, and says it would also hand slots at Dublin over to a new entrant at the airport.