David Lindsay

Although it has been reported on a number of occasions that the European Commission is investigating Malta’s air travel sector, there appears to be no official investigation underway.

But the fact that no official investigations are being carried out does not rule out the possibility of an unofficial investigation being kept under wraps.

The subjects of the investigations, it has been reported, are Ryanair’s beneficial contract with Malta International Airport and the discounting of airport charges in favour of Air Malta, which Ryanair claims is discriminatory.

But contacted this week, spokespeople for the EU’s competition and the transport commissioners confirmed there were no such investigations under their remit.

This summer, Ryanair’s Head of Regulatory Affairs Jim Callaghan was quoted as stating the Commission was looking into the government’s discounting of airport charges in favour of national carrier Air Malta.

More recently, reports emerged to the effect that the Commission was probing the low cost carrier’s contract with Malta International Airport.

Both pieces of news had come in relation to Ryanair’s dispute with the European Commission. Ryanair has accused the Commission of double standards in that it refuses to take action on what it describes as “serious violations of the State aid rules by national governments to protect their flag-carrier airlines” while at the same time undertaking “bogus” investigations against small airports.

This week Ryanair said it is suing the European Commission over its refusal to investigate whether German government funding for a Munich airport terminal amounts to illegal State aid for Lufthansa AG.

Ryanair has repeatedly accused EU governments of bias in favour of national carriers, while also accusing the Commission of being reluctant to investigate the airline’s claims.

On the other hand, Ryanair complains it has been subjected to a series of EU investigations into its deals with small European airports.

Earlier this year Malta was given the go-ahead from the Commission to grant State aid to airlines looking to create new air routes to and from Malta International Airport. The level of State aid, available until September 2011, for airlines, including Ryanair, was set at EUR59 million (Lm25 million) and can be put toward start-up costs and route-specific marketing.