Ryanair will appeal a European court ruling upholding state aid for for rival airlines SAS and Finnair.
Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline, said it would appeal after the EU’s general court upheld the Danish, Finnish and Swedish government aid for SAS and Finnair.
Ryanair will now take action in the Court of Justice of the EU.
The low-cost Irish carrier argues that the aid is illegal and benefitted only the countries’ flag carriers.
The Danish and Swedish administrations each gave SAS a €137 million loan, bringing total government support to the Scandinavian carrier to more than €1.3 billion.
In a statement, Ryanair said: “Today’s judgments set the process of liberalisation in air transport back by 30 years by allowing Finland, Denmark and Sweden to give their national flag carriers a leg up over more efficient competitors, based purely on nationality.
“We will now ask the EU Court of Justice to overturn these unfair subsidies in the interests of competition and consumers.”
