- The EU General Court dismissed Ryanair’s injunction request in September 2026
- The court declared Ryanair’s application “manifestly inadmissible”
- Ryanair sought to force Lufthansa to repay benefits from the bailout
- The European Commission opened a fresh state aid investigation following the April 2026 ruling
- The top court previously ruled Germany’s €6 billion bailout illegal
The EU General Court has dismissed Ryanair’s injunction request against the European Commission regarding Deutsche Lufthansa’s Covid-19 bailout. Europe’s second-highest court threw out the Irish budget carrier’s lawsuit in September 2026, declaring the application “manifestly inadmissible.” Ryanair sought the annulment of a European Commission decision from September 2024 that refused Ryanair’s formal request to issue provisional suspension and recovery injunctions against Lufthansa.
The decision represents the latest development in Ryanair’s long-running legal campaign against pandemic-era state support given to rival flag carriers. In April 2026, the EU’s highest tribunal, the Court of Justice, upheld a previous ruling that Germany’s €6 billion bailout of Lufthansa was indeed illegal due to regulatory vetting errors by the European Commission. Following that annulment, the European Commission opened a fresh state aid investigation to reassess the legality of the bailout.
Despite the top court previously ruling the original approval illegal, the General Court’s latest decision means Ryanair cannot legally force an immediate repayment of benefits while the Commission conducts its renewed inquiry. Ryanair’s lawsuit to force the European Commission to make Deutsche Lufthansa repay its Covid-19 bailout pending a fresh state aid inquiry into its legality has been rejected. The airline’s claim, filed as Case T-629/24, challenged the Commission’s refusal to issue a suspension and provisional recovery injunction against Deutsche Lufthansa.
