The French authorities stopped a Ryanair plane from taking off to put pressure on the airline (AFP Photo/PAU BARRENA) |
Paris (AFP) - The French civil aviation authority said Friday it had seized a Ryanair plane to get the Irish low-cost airline to repay illegal public aid, the latest in a string of troubles for the carrier.
The EU
Commission in 2014 ruled that subsidies Ryanair received from a regional
authority had to be repaid, but the airline had not complied despite repeated
warnings.
The plane,
a Boeing 737, was seized on Thursday at Bordeaux airport in southwestern
France.
"This
measure was taken as a last resort by the French authorities after several
reminders and attempts to recuperate the money failed," the DGAC civil
aviation body said.
"By
this action, the government reaffirms its intention to guarantee the conditions
of fair competition between airlines and between airports," it said.
The plane
"will remain immobilised until the sum is paid".
It was
"regrettable" that the 149 passengers on board the plane had to wait
five hours before being able to take off from the Bordeaux-Merignac airport in
another Ryanair aircraft, the civil aviation body added.
Regional newspaper Charente Libre reported that the plane was close to take-off for London's Stansted airport when a bailiff, accompanied by police, declared it seized on the tarmac and sealed the aircraft.
The French authorities stopped a Ryanair plane from taking off to put pressure on the airline (AFP Photo/PAU BARRENA) |
Regional newspaper Charente Libre reported that the plane was close to take-off for London's Stansted airport when a bailiff, accompanied by police, declared it seized on the tarmac and sealed the aircraft.
The airline
owes the regional authority 525,000 euros ($595,000), regional officials said.
The
president of the regional airport authority, Didier Vallat, told AFP he
expected the money to be disbursed Friday or Saturday.
"Ryanair
practically promised that they will pay us today," he said.
Ryanair's fleet
is made up mostly of Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which have a list price of around
$98 million each.
In October,
EU anti-trust authorities opened an investigation into whether Ryanair
benefited from measures at a German airport that give the Irish low-cost
carrier an unfair leg-up over competitors.
And last
week ministers from five European governments warned Ryanair that it could face
legal trouble if it ignores national labour laws after a series of strikes
across the continent.
The
pan-European stoppages prompted the airline to cut its profit forecast, but it
still expects to make profits after tax of 1.10-1.20 billion euros in its
current financial year.
Ryanair is
also fighting an order by Italian regulators to suspend a charge for carry-on
bags.
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