Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has said an appeal is inevitable if the findings of the EU Commission's investigation into its deal with Charleroi airport are as reported in this morning's Financial Times.
The FT said the Commission was set to take a tough line against Ryanair by ruling that several benefits granted to the airline were illegal.
The newspaper quoted people familiar with a preliminary ruling in the case as saying the Irish carrier would be ordered to repay some of the benefits it received in return for setting up a base in Charleroi.
Mr O'Leary said that, if true, such a ruling would be remarkable in a week which has seen its rival EasyJet launching a 20-year deal with the Government owned Berlin Schonefeld airport.
He said the Commission ruling could force Ryanair to withdraw altogether from Charleroi, closing down 10 routes.
