Ryanair Complains to the EU Commission

AGAINST IRISH GOVERNMENT’S DISCRIMINATORY TOURIST TAX

Ryanair, the World’s favourite airline, today (29th July) confirmed that it had submitted complaints to the EU Commission regarding the Irish Government’s tourist tax of €10 (€2 on shorter routes) which unfairly differentiates between Irish domestic routes and EU routes. Ryanair has made the following complaints on the Irish Government’s tourist tax:


  1. Internal Market complaint on the ground that this discriminatory tax breaches the EU Treaty on the freedom to provide services and EU Reg 1008/2008 as it constitutes a measure designed to effectively protect domestic traffic and airlines that fly domestic routes.



  1. A state aid complaint to challenge the illegal aid provided to Aer Arann through the Irish Government’s reduction of the tourist tax from €10 to €2 on short routes (destinations less than 300km from Dublin).



  1. A state aid complaint to highlight that transit/ transfer passengers and cargo traffic are exempted from the tourist tax which constitutes illegal state aid to Aer Lingus and the Government owned DAA Monopoly.
I suspect their ground that the tax was designed to in effect exclude domestic traffic with the 300km limit has some validity, although the lower €2 may get them around that. Where the charge could be best challenged is in the designation of the 300km from Dublin as applying to other domestic destinations as well i.e. flying from Cork to Manchester is at the lower charge even though it is more than 300km but because Dublin to Manchester is less than 300km. Thereby Cork has a competitive advantage over Dublin that they would otherwise not get.

Plus I suppose they can point to the UK where the departure charge seems to apply no matter what your destination is.