Ryanair is reported to be prepared to sell around 40% of Aer Lingus’s short-haul services to Flybe.
The move is a final effort to prevent the European Commission from blocking its takeover of the Irish flag carrier.
Some 43 routes would go to Flybe with British Airways taking three from Heathrow. Ryanair owns almost 30% of Aer Lingus and renewed a takeover bid last summer.
The latest series of concessions comes after Brussels rejected its first two attempts to address competition concerns.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said yesterday that the carrier was “trying to tweak” earlier proposals to address regulators’ competition concerns over the €694 million bid for Aer Lingus.
“We’ve submitted a very radical package of remedies,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg that did not include details of the package.
He expects a positive decision from the EU by the end of next month, O’Leary said in an interview in Rome. Ryanair’s plan has drawn opposition from Aer Lingus and the Irish government which owns 25% of the airline.