EU investigates Ryanair deal with Frankfurt-Hahn airport

The EC said Friday it had opened an investigation into whether Ryanair had benefited from illegal state aid at Germany's Frankfurt-Hahn airport. "We will investigate whether regional and local authorities in Germany, against the rules, gave an unfair advantage to Ryanair over its competitors," EU Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. Under the deal, Ryanair received between 2009 and 2017 training aid and funding for a crew and pilot school and for a maintenance hall at the airport, the Commission said. Ryanair said it was confident that the Frankfurt-Hahn agreement fully complied with EU state aid rules. "The EU has previously investigated this matter in 2014 and ruled that there was no state aid involved in the Ryanair-Frankfurt-Hahn agreement," the airline said. <br/>