Airport in EU Ryanair case may be sold

THE Belgian region of Wallonia, facing charges it gives illegal aid to Ryanair at a local airport, said selling the site to private investors was one possible way to resolve the dispute with the European Union.

The EU is probing whether a 2001 accord between Ryanair, Europe's No 1 low-cost airline, and Belgium's state-owned Charleroi airport includes illegal state aid. The 15-year agreement includes discounts on landing fees and marketing aid.

"Privatisation could be a solution," Serge Kubla, the Walloon government's vice president and economy minister, said at a press conference in Brussels.