Etihad Airways interested in buying Ryanair's Aer Lingus stake

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: :"Etihad has made no secret of its desire to up its shareholding in Aer Lingus. Not only does the Irish carrier proffer a slew of European routes, but at the same time, it has lucrative access to the North American market as well.
 
“Whether Ryanair entertains anything beyond a discussion is unclear, given that it has had two previous bids of its own for Aer Lingus spurned but you could equally ask whether Etihad is prepared to pay above and beyond fair value to acquire part or all of Ryanair stake in the airline.”
 
Ahmad  concludes: “To throw the cat amongst the pigeons - there's absolutely nothing ruling out a counter-bid by Qatar Airways. After all, it too is growing and on the hunt for strategic buys, although its not evident whether Aer Lingus is one of the candidates on its immediate radar. But for Etihad, their chase of Aer Lingus seems to have gone up a gear."