The European Commission announced, on Friday 7 July, the extension, until 4 April 2027, of the period during which it is possible for Member States to provide operating aid to certain regional airports under the 2014 guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines.
In particular, these guidelines allowed Member States to provide regional airports handling fewer than 3 million passengers a year with operating aid, subject to certain conditions.
The guidelines included a transitional period of 10 years during which such aid was authorised in the EU.
This transitional period was due to expire on 4 April 2024 and has now been extended by 3 years.
The European Commission specifies that the other provisions of the guidelines remain applicable without further modification.
The Commission based this decision on the occurrence of exceptional circumstances that affected the profitability of certain regional airports: the consequences of restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences of Russian military aggression against Ukraine, including an increase in energy costs.
Before adopting this decision, the Commission launched a call for contributions in 2022 and conducted a public consultation between May and June 2023. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)