Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has threatened to stop flying from Brussels South Charleroi airport if the European Commission decides the financial agreement between the airport and Ryanair is a hidden subsidy. The EC is due to decide this month whether Charleroi and the Walloon regional government offer Ryanair unfair subsidies, as alleged by Ryanair's competitor at Charleroi, Virgin Express, and the operators of Brussels Zaventem airport. Charleroi is Ryanair's European hub and accounts for 10% of the airline's turnover. O'Leary says he already has two unnamed airports he can move to, although he has ruled out LiŠge Bierset, Belgium; Lille, France; and Maastricht, the Netherlands. The EC may suggest that the Walloon government privatise Charleroi, making any deal between the airport and Ryanair a purely commercial arrangement.
Source: Flight International