Nouvelle-Aquitaine airport suspected of paying illegal subsidies to Ryanair
An investigation claims the payments were allegedly made to keep the airline operational there
In 2024, 90% of the flights that passed through Limoges-Bellegarde airport were organised by Ryanair
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Limoges airport is suspected of paying illegal subsidies to Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, an investigation has claimed, with the payments allegedly intended to help maintain the company's activities in the region.
The public prosecutor's office of Haute-Vienne has - since 2020 - been conducting investigations into alleged subsidies that the airline Ryanair may have received illegally, reports France 3.
In 2024 some 90% of the 266,000 flights that passed through Limoges-Bellegarde airport were organised by Ryanair.
Existing concerns
A 2018 report by regional audit office la Chambre régionale des comptes Nouvelle-Aquitaine had highlighted alleged “marketing and advertising contracts” that appeared to disregard “the principles and rules of public procurement law”.
The report warned that these payments could “contravene the state aid regulations specified by the guidelines of the European Commission”.
The subsequent investigations could lead to the opening of an inquiry into the misappropriation of public funds or favouritism.
Public subsidies are only allowed if they reflect what a private investor would do under normal market conditions, and they must be granted with clear economic justification.
Executive interviews
Limoges-Bellegarde airport is owned 49.6% by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, 25.2% by the department of Haute-Vienne, and 25.2% by Limoges Métropole. It is managed by the Limoges chamber of commerce, la Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Limoges (CCI).
As part of the investigations, CCI president Pierre Massy and former president Jean-Pierre Limousin, have been interviewed in recent days.
Several Ryanair executives are also reported to have been interviewed, along with those from two other airlines.
Both the CCI and Ryanair declined to comment when contacted about the case by France 3.
Other Ryanair cases
Ryanair is no stranger to similar accusations, and has already been the subject of injunctions from the European Commission for practices contrary to state aid rules.
In 2024, the company was instructed to repay €14 million to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport in Germany, and in 2019, the European Commission ordered it to repay €8.5 million it had received via marketing agreements with Montpellier Airport.
Ryanair is typically very outspoken about its financially-motivated decisions on whether to remain or stay operational in certain countries or airports.
Earlier this month, CEO Michael O'Leary once again threatened to reduce its route coverage in France if the government increases the tax on airline tickets.
Read more: Bordeaux airport: ‘Ryanair pulling out was our worst-case scenario’
And in late 2024, the company closed its hub at Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, ending all flights to and from the city, in a dispute over fleet basing costs. It also recently announced it would not proceed with plans to begin services to and from Paris Orly airport.
In contrast, it has said that it will add a new seasonal service between Clermont-Ferrand and London Stansted from March to October this year.
