The European Union Court has declared German state aid for Condor worth 321 million euros null and void. The airline received this financial support following the bankruptcy of its former parent company Thomas Cook.
The restructuring aid was approved by the European Commission in 2021, but the court has now upheld Ryanair's lawsuit. It criticizes the Commission for approving the aid without initiating a formal investigation procedure. In particular, the court criticizes the fact that it was not sufficiently examined whether the state funds met the requirement of appropriate burden-sharing, as provided for in the Commission's guidelines.
It is still unclear whether Condor will now have to repay the financial aid, as the judgment is not yet final and could be appealed to the European Court of Justice. The Commission also has the possibility to improve its decision in certain circumstances. Ryanair has already successfully sued against state aid in previous cases that affected Condor.