A 2020 aid from the Republic of Austria in the amount of 150 million euros for Austrian Airlines (AUA) was legal, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg ruled on Monday. Formally, the legal dispute was about the question of whether the EU Commission was allowed to approve the aid. EU-wide/Brussels/Schwechat. The low-cost airlines Ryanair and Laudamotion had filed a lawsuit against the EU Commission’s decision, but had already failed in the EU Court of First Instance (ECG) around three years ago. The two airlines appealed to the ECJ. However, the Court confirmed the ECG ruling today.
AUA was rescued in June 2020 after the first wave of the pandemic with a total of 600 million euros. The 150 million euros at issue in today’s ruling flowed directly from the state treasury into the airline’s accounts and did not have to be repaid. AUA has now repaid a 300 million euro loan for which the Republic assumed liability. The German AUA owner Lufthansa contributed a further 150 million euros at the time.
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