There has already been significant interest in the post of Aer Lingus chief executive, the company said yesterday.

However, the formal application process will not begin until later this week when advertisements appear in the national press. The salary for the position is €425,000, not including pension contributions.

A large number of candidates from Ireland are expected to apply, but interest is also likely from overseas. The former chief financial officer of easyJet, Mr Chris Walton, has been mentioned by many industry observers as a potential candidate.

The chief executive of JetStar, Mr Alan Joyce, who now heads the low fares operation of Qantas is also highly regarded. He previously worked for Aer Lingus, but may not want to uproot from Australia.

Yesterday another potential candidate, Mr David Dilger, the Greencore chief executive, who has been mentioned in some newspaper reports, appeared to rule himself out.

Asked about his future he told the Financial Times: "I have one job at the moment, and my eyes are down and not up. I'm not taking calls from headhunters". He denied rumours he had been approached about various jobs.

Several internal candidates are also expected to apply. Mr Niall Walsh, recently appointed chief operations officer, is believed to be the strongest. He formerly worked with Dunnes Stores.

Other candidates mentioned include Mr Tim Jeans, the managing director of Monarch Airlines and Mr Conor Hayes, the chief financial officer of RTÉ. It is thought unlikely the former Ryanair director and aviation consultant, Mr Conor McCarthy will apply. Ms Barbara Cassani, the former chief executive of low fares airline Go has also been mentioned.