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LUXEMBOURG – The General Court of the European Union (EU) today rejected an appeal filed by Ryanair against State aid of 1.2 billion euros given to TAP in 2020, during the covid-19 crisis.
The issue at hand is State aid, amounting to up to 1.2 billion euros, which Portugal granted to TAP Air Portugal, with the aim of keeping the airline operational for six months, and which the European Commission authorized, according to a statement.
In a first phase, in June 2020, the low-cost Irish airline Ryanair challenged, having succeeded in the annulment by the General Court, in May 2021, arguing that the community executive had not indicated that the beneficiary belonged to a larger group of companies, which was necessary to examine whether TAP SGPS was eligible for emergency aid.
After correcting the error, Brussels authorized the granting of State aid to TAP again in July 2021, mentioning in today’s judgment, which denies Ryanair’s appeal, that the conditions for emergency aid eligibility were met.
For the General Court, “the principles of non-discrimination, free provision of services and freedom of establishment were also not violated,” also noting that “Ryanair’s claims that the Commission’s analysis was incomplete and insufficient and that the decision was not sufficiently reasoned” are also rejected.
Covid-19, an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was first identified in December 2019, in China, and turned into a pandemic, killing millions of people and causing a global crisis. (05/02/25)
EU court rejects Ryanair’s appeal against state aid of €1.2 billion to TAP
Ryanair saw its challenge to state aid, amounting to up to 1.2 billion euros, which Portugal granted to TAP Air Portugal, with the intention of keeping the airline operational for six months during the covid-19 pandemic, rejected, and which the European Commission authorized, according to a statement.
