Ryanair claims Lufthansa and German govt aim to carve up Air Berlin

Ryanair has claimed to EU competition regulators that there is a conspiracy between the German govt and Lufthansa to carve up insolvent Air Berlin. The German govt loaned Air Berlin E150m Tuesday after the loss of shareholder Etihad’s backing forced it to file for insolvency and it emerged that Lufthansa was bidding for parts of its business. Ryanair complained formally to the EC and Germany’s competition regulator, the Bundeskartellampt, that the govt and Lufthansa were conspiring to carve up Air Berlin while excluding competitors and ignoring anti-trust and state aid rules. “This manufactured insolvency is clearly being set up to allow Lufthansa to take over a debt-free Air Berlin, which will be in breach of all known German and EU competition rules,” the airline said. <br/>