Ryanair expresses interest in Stansted as BAA puts it up for sale
August 22, 2012
It transformed the airline business with its no-frills approach to flying and now Ryanair is considering the same approach with airports after the budget carrier confirmed its interest in acquiring London Stansted.
The Dublin-based airline has held discussions over taking a 25% stake in the Essex airport, which has a price tag of more than £1bn. The current owner, BAA, announced on Monday that it is ending a protracted legal battle to prevent the sale of Stansted, which had been ordered by the Competition Commission in 2009 but had been hotly contested by BAA.
A spokesman for Ryanair, which operates 41 planes from the airport, said the carrier would be interested in a deal following the BAA announcement.