Ryanair probed on Rochelle aid

Ryanair’s agreements with several European airports is to come under further scrutiny after the European Commission announced yesterday it had opened an in-depth investigation into potential state aid at La Rochelle airport in France.

Officials in Brussels said it was examining whether financial arrangements between public authorities and the airport, as well as rebates and marketing agreements with airlines using La Rochelle, are in compliance with EU rules on state aid.

The investigation will examine whether such agreements, which include discounts on airport charges for new routes, constitute an unfair economic advantage to some airlines.

Ryanair which operates direct flights from Dublin and Cork to La Rochelle is one of five airlines which regularly flies to west coast of France destination.

The European Commission is also examining Ryanair’s agreements with Niederrhein-Weeze (Düsseldorf) airport in Germany and Västerås (Stockholm) in Sweden as part of other wider investigations into possible abuses of state aid rules in the aviation sector.

The European Commission said yesterday the opening of an in-depth investigation would allow third parties to submit comments on the support measures for La Rochelle.