Ryanair sues EU to topple Sweden’s $494m airline rescue

Ryanair asked EU judges to cancel EU approval of Sweden’s E455m loan guarantees for airlines, the first of several potential lawsuits targeting European governments’ efforts to rescue selected airlines hit by a collapse in air traffic. Ryanair’s filing at the EU’s General Court on May 1 argues that Sweden violated EU law by limiting state guarantees on loans to airlines that had a Swedish commercial aviation license on Jan. 1, effectively shutting out the Irish carrier and other airlines that operate services in Sweden but base planes elsewhere in Europe. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary accused governments of bailing out their favored airlines and failing to offer the same help to airlines like his and Wizz Air that are unlikely to receive massive bailout packages from nations where they are licensed.<br/>