State aid: Commission approves €6.2 million aid for Erfurt-Weimar Airport in Germany

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, additional operating aid of around €6.2 million to Erfurt-Weimar airport. The small regional airport is 100% publicly owned and located in the Land of Thuringia. In June 2018, the Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, initial operating aid of €10.7 million to the airport. Germany notified to the Commission its plans to extend the operating aid to the airport and to grant additional €6.2 million up to 2024 to the airport operator. This follows the prolongation of the rules on operating aid for small airports under the Aviation Guidelines until 2024 and the recent insolvency of airline Germania, which caused a significant drop in passengers at the Erfurt-Weimar airport. The operating aid aims to keep the airport running in the medium-term, until it is expected to cover its costs as of 2024. The Commission found that the measure is in line with EU State aid rules, in particular the Aviation Guidelines, as it will contribute to improving connections of citizens and facilitating regional development in the region of Thuringia, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market. More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number SA.54496 once confidentiality issues have been resolved.