European Commission Approves Award of Slots at Lisbon Airport to Easyjet
According to the statement published by the European Commission, the slots will be available by TAP Air Portugal in order to reduce possible undue competition distortions caused by the restructuring aid it received from Portugal, as approved by the Commission in December last year, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
The recent decision means that EasyJet will be eligible to operate new routes starting from October 30, 2022.
In this regard, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said that following an open procedure, EasyJet would obtain 18 of the daily take-offs as well as landing slots that are currently held by TAP at Lisbon airport.
“This will encourage competition in the European aviation sector, as it will enable easyJet to expand its activities at this congested airport, contributing to fair prices and increased choice for European consumers. This also helps ensure that the financial support given to TAP by Portugal to allow the carrier to return to viability has no undue negative effect on the Single Market,” Vestager pointed out in this regard.
According to the European Commission announcement, the latter is obliged to approve the competing carrier to which TAP Air Portugal’s slots are available under a transparent and non-discriminatory procedure.
On February 25, the Monitoring Trustee announced a call for proposals for interested carriers.
The European Commission assessed in detail the proposal that it received against the eligibility, evaluation as well as ranking criteria set out in the decision of the Commission taken last year on December 21, 2021.
“Based on this assessment, the Commission has ranked easyJet’s proposal first. easyJet has now priority to conclude with TAP Air Portugal the agreement for the slot transfer that will allow easyJet to expand its operations at Lisbon airport and offer new flights as of October 30 2022,” the statement reads.
Easyjet is a low-cost airline, considered among the world’s largest airlines in the world, which operates 927 routes across a total of 34 countries and 153 airports.
Following the European Commission Guidelines on rescue as well as reconstructing aid, EU member countries may support companies that are going through difficult situations under specific conditions.
In order for the aid to be approved, according to the Commission, the reconstructing plan must ensure that the viability of the company can be restored without continued State support.
