On June 9, 2021, Ryanair won its fight against Condor, as the EU General Court annulled the state aid granted for the German charter airline.
“The German government aid to Condor – both in 2019 and 2020 – went against the fundamental principles of EU law and has distorted the market to the detriment of consumers. Today’s ruling is an important victory for consumers and competition,” read Ryanair’s statement.
Previously owned by Thomas Cook Group, Condor was granted €550 million ($670 million) of state aid by the German government as compensation for the damage directly suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic over €30bn in discriminatory State subsidies has been gifted to EU flag carriers. Unless halted by the EU Courts in line with today’s ruling, the effects of market distortion caused by this State aid will be felt for decades,” Ryanair wrote in the statement.
This is Ryanair’s third victory against “discriminatory” state aid for airlines across Europe. Earlier in May 2021, Ryanair won against Air France-KLM and TAP Air Portugal, as Europe’s second-highest court annulled the support given to Ryanair rivals. However, the budget airline has lost its legal fights against Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Finnair.