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Ryanair confessed that it would have liked some assets from the available German airports. However, there was no initiative for a basic process of a sales pitch. On the other hand, the company still plans to acquire a 20pc share of the air market in Germany by 2021. Even though some officials stated that Ryanair would not oppose Lufthansa taking advantage of the insolvent rival Air Berlin, the CEO showed different cards.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary Views Partnership between Lufthansa and Air Berlin as a Conspiracy
On Tuesday, Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy. The decisive moment that triggered such a constrained situation was when investor Etihad refused to aid the company with any more financial support.
Therefore, the company turned to the German government for a $176 million loan. These funds would be enough to keep the air traffic running while Air Berlin negotiates with Lufthansa company and another party.
On the other hand, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary intends to hinder this contact between the two airlines to happen. The company filed a complaint with the German and European Union competition authorities.
The documents indicate that Ryanair perceived this collaboration as a conspiracy as Lufthansa has nothing but to gain from aiding Air Berlin. This way, the company is going to secure for itself a much larger influence within the German market.
“All this is down to prevent Ryanair growing in Germany, but it won’t stop us.”
Insolvent Rival Air Berlin Broke No Anti-Trust Rule According to German Economy Ministry
So far, Germany was the first to deny the veracity of such a statement. A spokeswoman for the economy ministry claimed that the loan the government granted insolvent rival Air Berlin doesn’t go against anti-trust laws.
On the other hand, Germany’s public trust in the business area was dinted recently. There are several allegations that the government treats easily the domestic industry. On top of that, there are suspicions that authorities weren’t too quick to uncover the emissions fraud that Volkswagen was practicing. It is worth mentioning that the state has partial ownership over the carmaker.
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