The European antitrust regulators have vetoed the third attempt of Ryanair to take over Aer ingus, saying that the Irish low-cost airline had not shown sufficient concessions to relieve issues on its monopoly on 46 routes.
The European regulators said that Ryanair's takeover bid, which is worth 694 million euros, could provide imbalance in the competition, anticipating higher fees for passengers.
In a statement released by EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, he said that if Ryanair's acquisition of Aer Lingus, a 75-year-old former flag carrier in Ireland, becomes successful, it would likely make passengers paying more.
Ryanair responded to the commission's conclusion by describing the concessions as unprecedented and rejecting its arguments. It said that it believes that the company has strong foundation for appealing and overriding the prohibition which, according to it, is inspired by politics.
In 2007, Ryanair made its first attempt to takeover Aer Lingus but was rejected by the European Commission.
The Irish government also opposed the 694 million euro bid of Ryanair for its Irish Rival.
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