Ryanair submits state aid complaint to EC

Ryanair has called on the European Commission to stop a further €300m of state aid for Alitalia. Alitalia has already received over €5bn in state aid, and Ryanair claims the European Commission is turning a blind eye with flag carriers.

Ryanair also claims that without such state aid, Alitalia, which loses almost €1m a day would have gone bankrupt years ago.

Speaking today, Ryanair’s Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Jim Callaghan said:

"Alitalia’s latest €300m bailout makes a mockery of EU State Aid rules. Propping up an inefficient national airline, which would have gone bankrupt long ago is simply illegal. Continued unlawful subsidies are allowing Alitalia to ignore its debts and rack up losses with abandon.

"The European Commission’s repeated failure to enforce its own State Aid rules in the case of Alitalia provides more evidence that it applies one set of rules for rule breaking flag carrier airlines but another discriminatory set of rules for Ryanair. The Commission has still failed to take any action on Ryanair’s 3 year old state aid complaints about Alitalia, Air France, Lufthansa, Olympic and Volare, however it is pursuing 7 baseless investigations about Ryanair’s open pro competitive deals at tiny regional European airports.

"We are again today, calling on the Commission to stop ignoring this state aid scandal and to start applying its own state aid and competition rules fairly".