Ryanair Holdings PLC
19 October 2007
RYANAIR SUBMITS COMPLAINT TO IFSRA OVER AER LINGUS SHAREHOLDER BRIEFINGS TO
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT
Ryanair, Aer Lingus's largest shareholder today (Friday, 19th October 2007)
confirmed that it has submitted a formal complaint to the Irish Financial
Regulatory Services Authority (IFSRA) concerning the apparent breach by Aer
Lingus of Irish Company Law and Stock Exchange Rules in its selective briefings
to one shareholder (the Department of Transport) of market sensitive information
(the closure of the Shannon-Heathrow route) some 8 weeks prior to the
announcement of this decision to all shareholders through the Stock Exchange
notice.
Ryanair is gravely concerned that one shareholder (the Department of Transport)
which only holds a 25% interest in Aer Lingus was repeatedly briefed on this
market sensitive information by the Chief Executive of Aer Lingus on the 13th of
June; again by the Chairman of Aer Lingus on the 31 July; and again by both the
Chairman and Chief Executive of Aer Lingus of 3rd August - 4 days before the
Stock Exchange announcement of this route closure on 7 August 2007. This
repeated and selective dissemination of market sensitive information to one
shareholder up to 8 weeks prior to making all other shareholders aware of the
facts is a clear violation of Stock Exchange rules and Irish Company Law.
Ryanair has asked the FSA to investigate these selective briefings of one
shareholder, and these apparent breaches of Stock Exchange rules.
Commenting on today's complaint, Ryanair's Head of Regulatory Affairs, Jim
Callaghan said:
'Aer Lingus's Chief Executive in an interview on RTE radio on 12 August
claimed that all Aer Lingus shareholders were advised at the same time of
this market sensitive information. This weeks' revelations prove that these
claims were untrue. It is unlawful for any publicly owned company to engage
in selective disclosure of market sensitive information to one shareholder
regardless of how large that shareholder may be.
'Since that shareholder (the Department of Transport) has no regulatory role
either in the case of Irish airlines, or in route opening and closure
decisions, Aer Lingus could only have been briefing the Department of
Transport in its capacity as a 25% shareholder of Aer Lingus.
'This appears to be a clear and flagrant breach of Stock Exchange rules by
both the Chairman and Chief Executive of Aer Lingus and we have asked the
FSA to investigate this matter and take appropriate action.. It is long past
time that the Department of Transport stopped behaving as the downtown
office of Aer Lingus, and that Aer Lingus stops treating the Department of
Transport as its downtown head office.'
Ends. 19th October, 2007
For further information
please contact:
Peter Sherrard Robert Marshall
Ryanair Murray Consultants
Tel. +353-1-8121212 Tel. +353-1-4980351
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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