Brussels, 16/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - After already having done it for France, the UK and Germany, the European Commission gave it authorisation on Wednesday for part of the aid system granted by the Austrian government to national airlines to compensate for losses due to the closure of some airspace between 11-14 September 2001. The Commission believes that this aid of EUR 1-4 million fulfils the conditions it laid down for authorising emergency aid systems to the airline sector after the attacks of 11 September: 1) aid must exclusively compensate the costs incurred between 11-14 September following interruptions to traffic due to decisions by the US authorities; 2) aid must be used in an on-discriminatory way to all airlines in Member States; 3) the mount is calculated in an objective way in relation to the loss of income during those four days. The Commission considers that two other measures of around EUR 2 million does not fulfil these conditions because: 1) part of it is aimed to cover costs throughout the network, outside of the USA, of companies that have been affected, with out the calculating method being able to prove a direct link to the restriction in flights; 2) another part involves 15 September 2001, therefore beyond the said period.
In June the Commission opened an examination proceeding with regard to France for having extended this aid beyond the period of 11-14 September (see EUROPE 6 June p 9).