Budget flights under threat?

BERLIN, August 8 /PRNewswire/ --

Air Berlin Wins the First Part of the BDF Exemplary Case Concerning Subsidies for Ryanair

The business model of Luebeck Airport has begun to sway. On behalf of all members of the Federation of German Airlines (BDF) Air Berlin took legal action against the subsidies paid by Luebeck Airport to the Irish company Ryanair.

According to the written reasons for the judgement, the First Chamber for Trade Disputes at the District Court of Kiel has decided that the remuneration regulations of Luebeck Airport are "unreasonable" and therefore "not binding" for Air Berlin.

The court further decided that the airport has to disclose all preferential terms which have been given to Ryanair so far.

Air Berlin had to stop its flights from Hamburg to London due to them being uneconomic as a result of Ryanair having been able to offer connections from Luebeck to London at dumping prices, due to the subsidies paid by the airport.

At first the airport company had rejected the right to bring a suit in principle. "This judgement is of fundamental importance. For the first time, a German court has ruled that an airline is entitled to a declaratory judgement even if this airline does not regularly fly to the airport in question but operates from a nearby airport", BDF-Manageress Dr. Tanja Wielgoss explained.