Another twist in Ryanair saga

DUBLIN - Two of Aer Lingus' non-executive directors say they will not participate in their board's consideration of the £1 billion ($2.82 billion) offer from Ryanair, claiming they believe it would not be in shareholders' best interests because they are Government appointees.

The Irish Government remains Aer Lingus' largest shareholder and the staunchest opponent of the Ryanair bid.

Ryanair pounced on the news, calling for the remaining directors to follow the lead of the two non-execs, Francis Hackett and Michael Johns, pointing out that according to the prospectus all "directors of the company have been appointed by the minister of transport".

The latest twist came as Aer Lingus' employee trust lifted its stake to 12.6 per cent, in what is believed to be a separate bid to block Ryanair.

- INDEPENDENT