Niki Lauda keen to bid for Niki if court cancels IAG deal

Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int'l) and Lufthansa Group have entered into a war of words over the latter's contractual obligations to LaudaMotion (OE, Vienna) and vice versa.

In a statement issued last week hailing the European Commission's (EC) unconditional approval of its bid to acquire a 75% stake in LaudaMotion, Ryanair accused Lufthansa of having failed to adhere to the terms of an EC ruling which allowed the Austrian carrier to resume operations.

As part of the terms and conditions for ...

The European Commission says it has unconditionally approved Ryanair's proposed acquisition of Austrian carrier LaudaMotion (OE, Vienna) after an investigation revealed no anticompetitive concerns.

Ryanair announced in March that it would acquire a 75% controlling stake in LaudaMotion for EUR50 million (USD62 million). Under the proposal, it would initially buy 24.9% of the Austrian regional carrier before increasing that to 75% subject to EU competition approval. Ryanair also has the option ...