Welcomes EC Ruling of No Stat

RNS Number : 2080G

Ryanair Holdings PLC

27 January 2010

 



RYANAIR WELCOMES EC FINDING OF NO STATE AID
IN THE BRATISLAVA INVESTIGATION

Ryanair, Europe's favourite airline, today (27 Jan '10) welcomed the European Commission's confirmation that Ryanair's agreement with Bratislava airport does not involve any State aid. This decision marks another successful conclusion of a State aid investigation involving Ryanair, in addition to the Charleroi judgment in December 2008. 

Following a detailed investigation resulting from a baseless complaint by Sky Europe, the Commission was able to conclude that Ryanair's agreement with Bratislava airport fully complies with the Market Economy Investor Principle. The Commission therefore confirmed that a private airport would have agreed to the same terms of the agreement with Ryanair, with the view to growing traffic and commercial revenues at the airport.

Ryanair's Juliusz Komorek said:

"The Commission's confirmation that Ryanair's agreement with Bratislava airport does not involve any State aid is good news for consumers and regional and secondary airports throughout Europe. It is also a welcome development in the Commission's application of State aid rules. The decision confirms that public airports are permitted to offer the same deals to airlines as their private counterparts do, with the view to attracting traffic and maximising commercial revenues.  It further reflects and affirms the commercial realities of the airline and airport markets following the liberalisation in the 1990s.

"Ryanair calls on the Commission to close the remaining seven State aid investigations at Alghero, Pau, Lübeck, Frankfurt Hahn, Berlin Schönefeld, Aarhus and Tampere, and confirm that Ryanair's agreements with these airports are arms-length commercial deals which do not involve State aid. This would remove the damaging uncertainty from the market, which was initially created by spurious complaints by high-fare, fuel-surcharging airlines and their fellow monopoly-abusing, consumer-overcharging airports".

Ends.                                                                                                    Wednesday, 27th January 2010

For further information

Please contact:
Stephen McNamara                                                     Pauline McAlester
Ryanair                                                                         Murray Consultants
Tel: [phone]                                                 Tel: [phone]

 

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