Aer Lingus parent company IAG, have confirmed that the airline will continue to operate flights post-Brexit, despite EU rules.
According to EU rules, airlines that fail to be at least 50% owned by EU nationals risk losing their operating licences.
Speaking about the issue recently, IAG said that it expects the EU and UK to agree a comprehensive aviation agreement before Brexit and that “flights will continue to operate as normal”.
IAG also owns British Airways along with Spain’s Iberia and Vueling airlines. It is Spanish-registered and has its headquarters near Heathrow Airport in the UK.
Middle Eastern country Qatar owns 25.1 per cent of the group, and various institutional investors, some based in the UK, hold stakes in the business.
IAG placed a cap on the number of non-EU investors who could own its shares for most of 2019, after its non-EU share ownership reached 47.5% – nearing the 50% threshold.
The group lifted the restrictions in January this year, when it said non-EU ownership had fallen to 39.5 per cent – a figure that did not consider UK nationals as being outside the EU.
