Ryanair blasts Air Berlin plan

BUDGET airline Ryanair has accused Germany’s government and airline Lufthansa of being in cahoots following a state rescue of rival Air Berlin.

Ryanair called Germany’s €150m (£137m) loan to Air Berlin immediately after its insolvency request on Tuesday an ‘obvious conspiracy’ to allow Lufthansa to acquire the firm’s assets.

Air Berlin filed for insolvency after main shareholder, Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad, withdrew financial support.

It made a loss almost every year since 2008, including a record £714m in 2016.

The German government made the loan to allow it keep its aircraft in flight for the next three months and to secure the jobs of 7,200 staff while talks about its long-term future continue.

This prompted a Ryanair complaint to the German regulator and the European Commission. It said: ‘The German government is supporting this Lufthansa-led monopoly with €150m of state aid so Lufthansa can acquire Air Berlin and drive fares in Germany even higher.’