Court blocks Ryanair from using Dusseldorf tag

A German court today blocked low-fare airline Ryanair from using the word Dusseldorf for an airport near the German-Dutch border because it is 42 miles from the city.

The court in Cologne said that Ryanair’s term Niederrhein (Dusseldorf) for the airport was deceptive advertising because it’s too far away.

Dublin-based Ryanair flies to London Stansted airport three times a day from the former military airfield at Weeze in the Niederrhein, or Lower Rhine, region.

Ryanair said it would appeal and criticised the decision. It blamed competitor airline Lufthansa and Dusseldorf Airport.

Ryanair continues to call the airport it uses 70 miles from Frankfurt Frankfurt-Hahn despite a challenge from Lufthansa.