Ryanair to seek divestments as part of IAG's Air Europa purchase

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanair <RYA.I> is to ask competition authorities to force British Airways owner IAG <ICAG.L> to make divestments as part of its purchase of Air Europa, chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Monday.

"I think it is a good deal for IAG, for Willie Walsh. I think it is a bad deal from a competition point of view," O'Leary said on a conference call with analysts.

"It is a merger to monopoly in Madrid and I think we would certainly be looking for the competition authorities to require some competition divestments, particularly in the Air Europa short-haul," he said.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries, editing by Louise Heavens)