Ryanair will contest a €9 billion German aid package for Lufthansa, the budget airline's group chief executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement today.
The government-backed aid will allow Lufthansa to "engage in below-cost selling" and make it harder for Ryanair, its Laudamotion subsidiary and rival low-cost carrier EasyJet to compete, Michael O'Leary said.
"Ryanair will appeal against this latest example of illegal state aid to Lufthansa, which will massively distort competition," he added in the statement.
Meanwhile, Ryanair has welcomed Spain reopening for tourism from July 1 and said it plans to operate 40% of its normal July flight schedule.
Spain's plans mirror those announced earlier by Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Portugal to reopen their hotels and beaches for the key July to August family holiday season.
Ryanair said it will offer 1,000 daily flights from countries all over Northern Europe including Ireland, the UK, Belgium, Holland, Germany to the key holiday airports of Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus from July 1.
Ryanair's CEO Eddie Wilson said that all its flights will operate with new health guidelines in place.
This will require all passengers and crews to wear face masks at all times in the airport terminals and on board Ryanair's aircraft, in compliance with EU guidelines.
"After four months of lockdown, we welcome these moves by governments in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus to open their borders, remove travel restrictions and scrap ineffective quarantines," Eddie Wilson said.
Ryanair shares rose in Dublin trade today.
