Assumes New Duties March 1

Aer Lingus has named Stephen Kavanagh to succeed Christopher Mueller as CEO of the budget airline as it faces a takeover bid from London-based IAG, the owner of British Airways.

Bloomberg Business reports that Kavanagh will begin his new role March 1. He is currently the airline's chief strategy and planning officer. He joined Aer Lingus in 1988, and was involved in taking the carrier public in 2006.

Mueller announced his plans to resign seven months ago as the takeover negotiations proceeded. Mueller led the airline as it thwarted a takeover attempt by Ryanair Holdings.

In a statement, Aer Lingus Chairman Colm Barrington said that Kavanagh has a "commanding knowledge of both the company and the industry," and has been a "key member of the executive team."

In a related development, the CEO of Stobart Air, which serves as a regional carrier for Aer Lingus, said the smaller airline supports the proposed merger.

RTE Ireland reports that in an appearance on RTE's "Morning Ireland" program, Stobart Air CEO Sean Brogan said that a merger always means growth, and that it would mean more jobs.

Brogan cited the example of the agreement between Aer Lingus and Stobart Air, saying that the regional carrier had been a "much smaller airline" before becoming a part of Aer Lingus. Now "we have grown our passenger numbers by 35%. That growth has allowed us to re-fleet. We have a new modern fleet. That in turn brings jobs," he said.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.aerlingus.com