BRITISH airways owner IAG has said that Aer Lingus customers will not be directly affected by its formal takeover of Ireland’s national airline.
There will be no change to the process of booking flights and neither will there be changes on board the aircrafts.
Instead, over the next five years, Aer Lingus aims to establish Ireland as a central hub for transatlantic flights and introduce new routes.
An IAG spokeswoman told The Irish Post: “The airline [Aer Lingus] remains responsible for its own operations, customer services and brand, so it does not affect bookings, in-flight services.
“Aer Lingus will grow under the umbrella of a profitable and sustainable airline group but will continue to operate as the Aer Lingus brand with its headquarters and own management team running the business in Ireland.”
IAG took formal control of Ireland's national airline today as the deadline for Aer Lingus shareholders to accept its offer has now passed.
The company received valid acceptances of the offer for 98.05 per cent of the existing issued share capital of Aer Lingus.
The deal means that Aer Lingus investors will receive a payout worth €2.50 per share.
IAG also confirmed that customers of Ireland’s national airline would benefit from the introduction of the new transatlantic routes.
“IAG plans to grow the airline and develop Ireland’s geographic location as a natural gateway between Europe and North America, taking advantage of US immigration pre-clearance,” the spokeswoman said.
Aer Lingus are expected to add two routes to North America next year, with a further four being launched by 2020.
In total, eight new aircraft are scheduled to join the existing fleet, meaning that the airline could carry up to 2.4 million additional passengers.
The confirmed €1.4billion takeover by IAG was deemed irreversible after Ryanair formally agreed the sales of its shares in Aer Lingus in mid-August.
The sale of Aer Lingus had caused concerns that Ireland would no longer have a national airline, with the issue being debated in the Dáil.
Last December Aer Lingus initially rejected IAG’s €1.2billion offer.
A revised secondary offer was also rejected, before IAG made a further bid of €1.4billion, which was successful.
