Lufthansa Group rejects EU Commission slot conditions tied to state aid

27 May, 2020

Lufthansa Group supervisory board discussed (27-May-2020) the acceptance of the state aid package offered by the German Economic Stabilisation Fund. The board has taken note of the conditions currently indicated by the EU Commission, which would "lead to a weakening of the hub function at Lufthansa's home airports in Frankfurt and Munich". State aid conditions are reported to include Lufthansa relinquishing slots at its two main German hubs over concerns state aid will give the carrier unfair advantage over competitors (Bloomberg, 26-May-2020). As a result, the board stated it was unable to approve the stabilisation package in connection with the EU conditions, though it continues to regard state measures as the only viable alternative for maintaining solvency. [more - original PR]