Ryanair has to date carried over 136m passengers at the 10 airports where our commercial arrangements have been confirmed by the EU Commission and the EU Court to comply with EU law, compared to just 50k passengers at Zweibrucken airport where the Commission today suggested that the airport agreement did not comply with State aid rules.
Ryanair welcomed the EU Commission’s confirmation that Ryanair’s airport agreements at Brussels Charleroi, Frankfurt Hahn, Alghero and Stockholm Vasteras airports comply with the Market Economy Investor Principle and do not infringe the EU State aid rules. The Charleroi finding affirms the EU Court’s December 2008 ruling and brings to an end this long-running case which the EU Commission first considered in 1999. Today’s rulings are consistent with the EU Commission’s previous confirmation that Ryanair’s airport agreements with Aarhus, Bratislava, Marseille, Niederrhein, Berlin Schonefeld and Tampere airports also comply with EU State aid rules.
Ryanair noted the EU Commission’s decision concerning Zweibrucken airport, where Ryanair ceased operations in 2009 having carried just 50k passengers. All of Ryanair’s airport arrangements comply with the EU State aid rules and Ryanair has therefore instructed its lawyers to appeal this ruling to the extent it alleges otherwise.
Ryanair’s Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, Juliusz Komorek, said: “Today’s decisions confirm that Ryanair’s airport agreements at Charleroi, Hahn, Alghero and Vasteras airports comply with the Market Economy Investor Principle and involve no State aid. This follows seven earlier positive decisions at Aarhus, Bratislava, Charleroi (in 2008), Marseille, Niederrhein, Berlin Schonefeld and Tampere airports.”
Ryanair has to date carried over 136m passengers at the 10 airports where our commercial arrangements have been confirmed by the EU Commission and the EU Court to comply with EU law, compared to just 50k passengers at Zweibrucken airport where the Commission today suggested that the airport agreement did not comply with State aid rules.
“We remain committed to growing traffic from the current 87mppa to over 150mppa by 2024, in partnership with both private and public airports across Europe where all of our arrangements are arms-length commercial deals consistent with the EU Market Economy Investor Principle.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
