Ryanair Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA) is reportedly considering moving its primary listing from Dublin to Brussels as a spat with Ireland’s key airport rumbles on.
Having said last week that it would scrap 17 routes from Dublin this winter, the Irish carrier could now be considering ditching the city’s stock exchange too in search of more favourable terms elsewhere, The Times reported.
“There is no reason why we should be in Dublin, rather than Brussels,” chief executive Michael O’Leary told the newspaper.
Though Dublin is included in the pan-European stock market group, Euronext, O’Learly claimed Britain’s exit from the EU had affected the governance of Ireland’s exchange.
High stamp duty could also be affecting international investors’ choice to invest in Ireland, he added, with simpler regulation needed.
Speculation that Ryanair could ditch its Irish listing comes after the airline accused Dublin Airport of wasting money and hiking passenger fees out of kilter with other European airlines.
Some 19 of the airline’s new Boeing 737 Max jets were relocated as a result, with Ryanair suggesting better sustainability incentives and lower passenger fees could be found elsewhere.
The move would mark Ryanair's second relisting in recent years, after the company left the London Stock Exchange in 2021 over concerns that Brexit had hit trading volumes.