Brussels, 18/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 June, the European Commission decided to launch a formal investigation into public financing which Frankfurt-Hahn airport has received from the Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz regional authorities, as well as from its publicly-owned parent company, Fraport AG. The Commission has also decided to scrutinise the airport charges applicable at Frankfurt-Hahn and also individual contracts the airport has concluded with the Irish airline Ryanair. The Commission investigation follows complaints from a competing airline and from an association of airlines.
Frankfurt-Hahn airport has received, and continues to receive, public funding in different forms. The Commission investigation concerns mainly two capital increases, which took place in 2002 and 2004, as well as a profit-and-loss transfer agreement, between the airport and its mother company, Fraport AG. In 1999, the airport concluded a first individual agreement with Ryanair. This initial agreement was followed by further agreements in 2002 and 2005. The airport has subsequently also modified its published list of charges, making available to other airlines terms and conditions similar or identical to those offered initially to Ryanair.
After an initial assessment of the evidence, the Commission has concluded that Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn GmbH might have acted like a private market investor, but that, at this stage, there is insufficient evidence to show this beyond reasonable doubt. The Commission considers, therefore, that it needs to give interested parties and the German authorities the opportunity to present their views, before it takes a final decision on whether or not state aid has been granted to Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn GmbH and/or the airlines operating from it.
The Commission's decision acknowledges the positive impact which the development of Frankfurt-Hahn has had on the economy of the Hunsrück region. “This can be taken into account when assessing the compatibility of aid with the single market,” says the Commission in a press release. (O.L./transl.rt)