Support to Carcassonne airport: no aid, compatible and incompatible aid
Following the opening of a formal investigation procedure launched in April 2012, the European Commission has approved EUR 11.7 million of subsidies granted between 2001 and 2011 to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Carcassonne-Limoux-Castelnaudary (CCI), then manager of Carcassonne airport. The subsidies, financed mainly by regional and local authorities, supported infrastructure investment and operating costs. The Commission found them compatible with the Aviation Guidelines, as they were necessary, proportionate and did not unduly distort competition with neighbouring airports.
An additional EUR 1.1 million of funding was used for non-economic tasks such as firefighting and customs and therefore fell outside State aid rules.
In the same period, CCI concluded a series of marketing and airport services agreements with Ryanair and its subsidiary AMS. Assessing 16 such agreements under the market economy operator test, the Commission found that 11 contracts were loss-making for the airport and conferred an undue advantage on Ryanair. These agreements amount to incompatible State aid of approximately EUR 1.8 million. France must recover this amount, plus interest, from the beneficiary in order to remove the distortion of competition.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be published under case number SA.33962.
For more information, see the Commission’s PR.