Ryanair has welcomed the EU General Court’s ruling against the €130m aid package given by the Italian government to the country's airlines.
In response to a case filed by Ryanair, the General Court ruled the aid was discriminatory as it favoured Italian airlines over those based in other European Union member states.
"Ryanair is Italy’s largest airline yet was excluded by the Italian government from these schemes. Ryanair appealed the European Commission’s approval of these illegal subsidies to the EU General Court in 2021", the Dublin-based budget airline said.
The ruling followed the same court’s recent reversals of European Commission decisions to allow a €6bn aid package to Lufthansa and one worth €1bn to SAS.
Ryanair accused the European Commission of a "head-in-the-sand approach to massive and discriminatory bailouts of ailing flag carriers by EU member states".
"Today’s judgement confirms that the Commission must act as a guardian of the level playing field in air transport and cannot sign-off discriminatory State aid under political pressure by national governments. The Court’s intervention is a triumph for fair competition and consumers across the EU," a Ryanair spokesperson said on May 24.