Ryanair has appealed to European Court of Justice, challenging state aid given by their respective countries to SAS, Finnair, TAP, Air France, KLM, and Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA).
The latest appeal was filed against carrier TAP for receiving €1.2 billion aid package. Portugese news outlet Lusa reported obtaining Ryanair’s confirmation of submitting all six appeals in late July 2020. Another newspaper, Público, has also reported the confirmation.
Ryanair has a history of criticism aimed at national carriers that have received state aid from their respective countries, with Irish airline’s CEO Michael O’Leary calling Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) “crack cocaine junkie” for asking German government for state aid. Since then, Airline continued to constantly refer to “illegal state aid” in their public communication.
Nevertheless, the airline has obtained sizeable government loan itself, claiming that its support is transparent, as opposed to “illegal” programs that disrupt fair competition.