EU court upholds Ryanair complaint against Condor rescue

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled in favour of Ryanair regarding state aid given to Condor in 2021 The aid, described as “discriminatory” by Ryanair, included over €204m ($218 million) for Covid-19 related damages and over €321m ($344 million) for restructuring support – granted by the German Government. The Court already annulled the European Commission’s initial decision regarding most of the Covid-19 compensation in 2021, and today’s judgement confirms that the over €321m state aid received by Condor as liquidity support was unlawful. Over €40bn in State subsidies were handed out to EU flag carriers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The EU General Court has ruled against the billions of euros in State aid received by SAS, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and certain Italian airlines. A Ryanair spokesperson said: “One of the EU’s greatest achievements is the creation of a true single market for air transport. The European Commission’s approval of the German aid to Condor went against the fundamental principles of EU law. Today’s judgment confirms once again that the Commission must act as a guardian of the level playing field in air transport and cannot sign-off discriminatory State aid promoted by national Governments. The EU General Court’s intervention is a triumph for fair competition and consumers across the EU.""