Ryanair Welcomes EU Ruling On State Aid To Air ...

RYANAIR WELCOMES EU RULING ON OVER ¤1 BILLION IN UNLAWFUL STATE AID
                            TO AIR FRANCE


Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, today (Thursday, 29th
January 2009) welcomed yesterday's decision by the European
Commission to disallow unlawful State aid to Air France in the form
of reduced airport charges on domestic routes in France.  The
Commission's investigation resulted from Ryanair's State aid
complaint in May 2006 against the over ¤1 billion in State aid
received by Air France in the form of these unlawful domestic route
discounts.

Speaking today, Ryanair's Jim Callaghan said:

"Yesterday's decision confirms yet again that flag carriers
throughout Europe have been, and are, in receipt of billions of euros
in State aid, while the Commission has been wasting time pursuing
tiny regional and secondary airports, like Charleroi, for, what the
Courts have now found, were commercial arms-length deals with
Ryanair, easyJet and other low fares airlines.

"Following the recent dismissal by the European Court of First
Instance of the Commission's flawed 2004 Charleroi decision,
yesterday's decision is a second significant victory for European
consumers and low fares airlines in less than two months.  The
Commission should now recognise the benefits of low fares air travel
to regional and secondary airports, and start promoting low-cost
regional airport development similar to Charleroi, Tampere, Lübeck,
Schönefeld, Alghero, Pau, Aarhus, Bratislava and Hahn.

"Ryanair regrets that the Commission did not order Air France to
repay the ¤1 billion in unlawful State aid, which it received between
1997 and 2008 in the form of reduced domestic airport charges within
France.  Nevertheless, yesterday's decision is a welcome change in
the Commission's record of ignoring State aid to Europe's flag
carrier airlines".

Ends.
Thursday, 29th January 2009

For reference:  Stephen McNamara, Ryanair                Pauline
McAlester, Murray Consultants
                        Tel:  [phone]
Tel:  [phone]

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