Ryanair said today that it will close its base in the southern French city of Marseille because prosecutors refused to drop a case against it for illegal working practices.
The French authorities have accused Ryanair of illegal working practices after the airline declared 120 employees in France as working in Ireland.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary had in May threatened to pull out of the Mediterranean city and relocate the operation outside France if the case went ahead.
Marseille has been Ryanair's Mediterranean hub since November 2006, with four aircraft and 120 staff based there.
Ryanair said it will move the Marseille based planes to airports in Spain, Italy and Lithuania. The airline is axing 13 routes from the airport will will continue to operate ten routes from Marseille with aircraft and crew that are based elsewhere.
'We are very disappointed at this decision by the French authorities to initiate proceedings against Ryanair's base in Marseille, which complies fully with EU regulations for mobile transport workers,' Michael O'Leary said today.
