Ryanair has confirmed it is in discussion with long-haul airlines to act as a ‘feeder’ service.
The move would see customers booking through a single transaction witht Ryanair fulfilling the short-haul element of the journey.
A spokesman said: "We are speaking to a number of airlines concerning feeding long-haul airlines, namely TAP at Lisbon and Norwegian at London Gatwick. Given we have the largest route network in Europe, it’s a logical move and a very attractive proposition for long haul carriers.
"However, it would represent a very small percentage of our business and it is very much at a discussion only phase at this time."
EasyJet is believed to be considering a similar move.
For long-haul flag carriers, it would mean they would be able to fill their long-haul aircraft by taking feeder traffic from low cost airlines.
They may also be able to cut some of their loss-making short-haul routes.
