Ryanair has reportedly offered to surrender half of Aer Lingus' short-haul business as it seeks European Union approval to buy its rival.

News agency Bloomberg says it has offered the routes to Flybe Group and International Airlines Group (IAG).

It reportedly made the concessions to the European Commission last week.

It is reported some 43 routes would be given to Flybe with British Airways - part of IAG - taking 3 using Heathrow Airport in London.

Latest takeover attempt

The low-fares airline owns about 30% of Aer Lingus and has made several attempts to buy the remainder.

The EU blocked a takeover attempt 5 years earlier saying it would create a monopoly for Irish flights.

The Ryanair plan has also seen opposition from the Aer Lingus board and the Irish government.

The board of the former State carrier had repeatedly urged shareholders to reject the €694 million offer claiming it undervalued the airline.

While the Cabinet has also said they believe the deal would be a bad deal for Ireland.

In November last year Ryanair said it was working to address all competition concerns to get the green light in Europe for its bid.

The low-cost carrier submitted a package to the European Union outlining a number of airlines which they said would commit to open new bases and compete with any Ryanair/Aer Lingus crossover services if the move went ahead.