The European Commission gave its green light on Tuesday 1 February to Germany’s plan to grant up to €1.7 billion for the recapitalisation of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB). The support was authorised under the State aid Temporary Framework.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President responsible for Competition Policy, said: “With this measure, Germany will contribute to reinforcing Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg’s equity position and help the company face the economic effects of the outbreak. At the same time, public support will come with strings attached to limit undue distortions of competition”.
FBB is a State-owned airport operator based in Berlin, Germany. The company manages Berlin-Brandenburg airport.
FBB will use part of the aid to repay subsidised loans granted under a previous aid scheme approved by the European Commission in August 2020 (see EUROPE 12544/3).
The European Commission found that the recapitalisation measure notified by Germany complies with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework: the capital injection will not exceed the minimum necessary to ensure the viability of FBB and will restore its capital position compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, and the recapitalisation aid will prevent the insolvency of FBB, which would have serious consequences for connectivity and employment in Berlin. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)