Ryanair seeks to topple Lufthansa’s rescue at EU court

Ryanair sought to shoot down Germany’s multibillion euro bailout for Lufthansa, asking an EU court to cancel EU approval. Germany’s E6b recapitalization and a state guarantee for a E3b loan “discriminates unlawfully between EU airlines,” Ryanair said Thursday. The carrier filed its challenge at the EU’s General Court on Jan. 22. “It is extraordinary that Lufthansa announced it did not need so much state aid, yet the German government was committed to favoring its ‘global champion’ instead of putting measures in place to support air traffic recovery in a manner that would benefit all airlines delivering traffic at German airports,” Ryanair said. Ryanair is challenging more than a dozen state bailouts for airlines across Europe over concerns the cash boost for rivals will allow them to emerge stronger, slash fares and swallow up others. <br/>