The Hungarian National Development Ministry has published its long-announced concession tender for interested airlines to operate services from Budapest to Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo and Skopje. Furthermore, the state will sponsor flights to Tirana. Any carrier registered within the European Union is eligible to apply for the incentives. According to the ministry, the new routes will help boost trade and tourism. It further adds that financial assistance is being offered since a number of destinations formerly served by the national carrier Malev, which filed for bankruptcy in February 2012, are yet to resume. Both Slovenia's Adria Airways and Hungary's Wizz Air are seen as possible contenders for the subsidies.
How does this work with the EU state aid rules? I thought this type of subsidies are contrary to EU law
ReplyDeleteThey got an approval from the European Commission. Otherwise they couldn't go for it.
DeleteAdmin can you tell as much more about the conditions of the EX-YU flight tender?? tnx.
ReplyDelete[not the admin] Hi, here is the link but only in Hungarian. It think it is supposed to be published in the EU's public procurement database in English but I couldn't find it.
Deletehttp://kozbeszerzes.hu/ertesito/megtekint/portal_4162_2016/
- min. 2 return flights/destination/week
- min. 30-seat airplanes
- min. 1 Hungarian-speaking flight attendant/flight
- max. 8 year-old airplanes
- operators would be compensated quarterly and posteriorly
- financial risks are to be covered by the operator of the flights
Plus: in my understanding the five routes (TGD, PRN, SJJ, SKP, TIA) should be operated by the same winner of the tender - but I am not a legal expert, I might be interpreting that wrong!
Delete"A közszolgáltatási kötelezettség az öt útvonalra együttesen értelmezendő."
So according to published information from the tender names of carriers should be available before 05/19/2016?
Delete*correct me if I'm wrong!?
No, May 19th is the deadline to submit an application. I think we will have no info before that date but I am no expert in tenders...
DeleteBetween May 19th and 30th: max. 3 applicants will be chosen to submit a detailed proposal. I don't know if potential carrier names will be made public or not at this stage.
Final deadline for proposals: July 15th. Decision will be made after that.
Thank you very much. :)
Delete