Ryanair has now called on the EU Commission to block the latest (allegedly) illegal State Aid of €3.4bn euros to Dutch flag carrier KLM. According to the news, Ryanair’s boss is fretting over a subsidy of €200 euros on behalf of every man, woman, and child of Holland because of the KLM rescue. Here’s the scoop.
Back in May, the Ireland-based budget airline of Michael O’Leary received £600m (about $730 million) from the United Kingdom’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF). Now, O’Leary calls “foul” because KLM is being propped up by the state. Here’s what the Ryanair boss had to say:
“16 years after Air France’s takeover of KLM, every Dutch citizen now has to pay 200 euros each to prop-up Air France-KLM, while each French citizen will only pay a subsidy 100 euros. This is a poor deal for the “trading nation”, which likes to lecture other EU countries about fiscal rules but has no problem breaking these rules when it comes to subsidizing KLM. This Dutch government subsidy is also bad news for competition and consumer interests as it will further delay the necessary reforms at the bloated Air France-KLM. For this €200 KLM subsidy, every Dutch man, woman and child could buy 5 flights with Ryanair, instead of paying for the failure and inefficiency at Air France-KLM.”
O’Leary is now calling for the European Commission to block this subsidy doping to KLM, which, according to the billionaire, will further reduce competition and consumer choice in the Dutch and French markets. And everyone knows how every billionaire bleeds red over Dutch and French citizens spending too much.
Sorry, it had to be said.
