easyJet, Ryanair eye TAP's Lisbon slots

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Finnair aid cleared as Ryanair loses legal challenge

Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int'l) has lost another attempt to halt European Union approval of state aid to Finnair (AY, Helsinki Vantaa), after Europe’s Luxembourg-based General Court said it had dismissed its action in its entirety.

In June 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on every airline, the European Commission cleared the Finnish government’s plans to contribute to the flag carrier’s recapitalisation by subscribing to new shares in a rights issue to the tune of EUR286 million euros (USD326 million at the time).

The antitrust regulator had justified this by saying: “Finnair ensures the essential domestic and international connectivity needs of Finland. Given the geographical location of the country, the national economy, many jobs, and the development of foreign trade rely on these services.”

Ryanair launched legal action against the commission on the grounds that it had neglected to initiate a formal investigation into the aid despite doubts it should have had about the compatibility of the aid with the rules of the EU’s internal market. According to the low-cost carrier, the...

easyJet clinches TAP's freed slots at Lisbon, Portugal

easyJet (U2, London Luton) has been awarded 18 daily slots at Lisbon airport vacated by TAP Air Portugal (TP, Lisbon) in line with its Brussels-approved receipt of EUR2.55 billion euros (USD2.68 billion) in Portuguese state restructuring aid.

The UK-headquartered budget carrier will be able to start operating new routes from Lisbon from the IATA winter season, starting October 30, 2022, according to a statement issued by the European Commission.

It said easyJet was ranked first amongst competing carriers based on the seat capacity it could provide.

In securing the slots, easyJet fended off competition from Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int'l), which had been vociferously critical of the state support of TAP. Ryanair even took the matter to the European General Court, but the European regulator overruled the carrier’s concerns. Chief Executive Michael O'Leary reportedly told the ECO media outlet that TAP had put pressure on the Commission to allocate the slots to its competitor, easyJet. The airline was not immediately available for comment.

The Irish low-cost carrier in...