The low-cost airline Ryanair has suffered two further legal defeats in matters of state aid granted during the corona pandemic. The EU court has ruled that the financial aid granted to Brussels Airlines was admissible.

The legality was also confirmed in the case of Alitalia, which is now being wound up. In both cases, Ryanair's lawsuits were not directed directly against the airlines, but against the authorizations granted by the EU Commission.

The low-cost airline has gone to court against numerous rescue packages that various governments have granted to airlines based in their countries during the pandemic. In most cases, Ryanair was defeated, but there were also successes, as the EU Commission made mistakes in certain cases. In these cases, the commission improved the justification and the low-coster sued again.

Brussels Airlines welcomed the EU court's decision. They also explain that they have already repaid the state-guaranteed loans. However, there is a possibility that Ryanair could challenge the ruling before the European Court of Justice.

The fact that the EU court overturned the billion-dollar state aid that Germany had granted to Lufthansa caused a stir in May 2023. Germany and Lufthansa appealed against this, so the judgment is not yet legally binding. The Kranich Group also says that the crisis aid has already been paid back in full.