European Commission approves Italian scheme to compensate airports and ground-handling operators

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €800 million Italian scheme to compensate airports and ground-handling operators for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak and the travel restrictions that Italy and other countries had to implement to limit the spread of the virus. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager in charge of competition policy, said: “Airports are among the companies that have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus outbreak. This €800 million scheme will enable Italy to compensate them for the damage suffered as a direct result of the travel restrictions that Italy and other