The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, further operating aid of approximately €5.6m (US$6.2m) for Rostock Airport in Germany.
On August 10, 2018, the Commission decided that the initial operating aid of €1.8m (US$2m) until April 2019 was in line with EU state aid rules. The additional aid has been issued for the period up to 2024, following the extension of the rules on operating aid for small airports under the Aviation Guidelines.
The small regional airport, which is operated by the 100% publicly owned company Rostock-Laage-Güstrow, is located in the north German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In light of the recent insolvency of Germania and fly bmi, which caused a serious drop in passengers at Rostock, the operating aid aims to keep the airport running in the medium term, and the airport is expected to cover its costs as of 2024.
In its assessment, the Commission found that the measure is in line with EU State aid rules, in particular the Aviation Guidelines, as the funding will contribute to improving connections for local people and facilitating development in the region, without unduly distorting competition in the European Single Market.
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