Ryanair in firing line as Commission launches probes

Ryanair is in the firing line once again as the European Commission announced fresh investigations into illegal state aid to airports to which they fly.

The in-depth investigations are into airports in Charleroi, near Brussels, and Angoulême, south-west France, both of which are used by Ryanair, and they open a second probe into the German regional airport of Dortmund used by other low-cost airlines.

They are reopening and extending their inquiries into arrangements at Charleroi after the European Court of Justice struck down a previous finding in 2004 in which the Commission asked Ryanair to repay about €4m considered to be an illegal subsidy from the regional government.