Ryanair lodges Air France complaint

Low-cost airline Ryanair has filed a complaint against Air France with the European Commission (EC).

Ryanair claims that the French airline has received around €1 billion (£682 million) in "illegal state aid" and so putting airlines from other countries at a "competitive disadvantage" in the French market.

The money in question was saved through the discounted landing and passenger charges permitted for domestic flights at French airports. In some cases these charges are 50 per cent less than those paid by other airlines active in the EU, which could allow Air France to offer passengers cheaper tickets.

Ryanair's head of regulatory affairs, Jim Callaghan, went as far as to say that Air France had a "rampant monopoly" on the French market for air travel.

A statement from Ryanair claimed that the lower charges are illegal under European law and maintained its case was not without precedent - other governments having been sued by the EC for similar offences in the past.

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