US airline JetBlue has no interest in buying the Irish government's stake in Aer Lingus, the US company said overnight.
There had been reports that JetBlue had spoken to Aer Lingus management about the possible purchase, but yesterday's statement said JetBlue had no interest in or intention of purchasing the Irish Government's shareholding.
Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar last week dismissed newspaper reports that the US carrier was interested in the Government's 25% stake in the airline. The Government's stake in Aer Lingus is included in a list of state assets that may be sold to private interests.
Mr Varadkar said that the Government had not named a price for its stake and the issue was to get an appropriate buyer at the best possible price.
Aer Lingus and JetBlue are already connected by a sales agreement launched in April 2008. This allows Aer Lingus passengers flying into Boston and New York to connect with JetBlue's services to 37 destinations in the US.
