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Ryanair HoldingsAnnouncement

06/09/2014 20:26

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RNS Number : 1173N
Ryanair Holdings PLC
23 July 2014 
 
RYANAIR WELCOMES EU CONFIRMATION THAT AIRPORT DEALS COMPLY WITH STATE AID
RULES 
 
Ryanair, Europe's favourite low fares airline, today (23 July) welcomed the EU
Commission's confirmation that Ryanair's airport agreements at Niederrhein
Airport comply with the State aid rules (Market Economy Investor Principle).
This finding is consistent with the EU Commission's and EU Court's previous
rulings that Ryanair's airport agreements with Aarhus, Bratislava, Charleroi,
Marseille, Berlin Schönefeld and Tampere airports also comply with EU State
aid rules. 
 
Ryanair also noted the EU Commission's decisions concerning Pau (ceased
operations in March 2011) and Angouleme (ceased operations in October 2009)
airports, and Nimes airport where Ryanair currently operates 4 routes.  All of
Ryanair's airport arrangements comply with the EU State aid rules and Ryanair
has therefore instructed its lawyers to appeal these rulings to the extent
they erroneously allege otherwise. 
 
Ryanair's Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Juliusz Komorek said: 
 
"Today's decisions confirm that Ryanair's airport agreements at Niederrhein
Airport comply with the EU State aid rules (Market Economy Investor
Principle).  Following the closure of this case and the earlier six positive
decisions at Aarhus, Bratislava, Charleroi, Marseille, Berlin Schönefeld and
Tampere airports, we will immediately appeal the decisions in Pau, Angouleme
and Nimes cases where the EU Commission mistakenly suggested that the
airports' agreements with Ryanair did not fully comply with the EU State aid
rules. 
 
Ryanair has to date carried 86.5m passengers at the 7 airports where our
commercial arrangements have been confirmed by the EU Commission and the EU
Court to comply with EU law, compared to just 3.4m passengers at the airports
where the Commission today suggested that the airport agreements did not
comply with State aid rules. 
 
We remain committed to growing traffic from the current 85mppa to over 110mppa
by FY2019, in partnership with both private and public airports across Europe
where all of our arrangements are arms-length commercial deals consistent with
the EU Market Economy Investor Principle." 
 
Ends 
 
For further information 
 
please contact:           Robin Kiely                            Joe Carmody 
 
Ryanair Ltd                            Edelman Ireland 
 
Tel: +353-1-9451212              Tel: +353-1-6789 333 
 
press@ryanair.com                   ryanair@edelman.com 
 
Follow us on Twitter: @Ryanair 
 
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