Ryanair vows to appeal against Lufthansa aid package

Ryanair will contest a 9 billion-euro ($9.9 billion) German aid package for Lufthansa, the budget airline's Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement on Tuesday.

The government-backed aid will allow Lufthansa to "engage in below-cost selling" and make it harder for Ryanair, its Laudamotion subsidiary and rival low-cost carrier easyJet to compete, O'Leary said.

"Ryanair will appeal against this latest example of illegal state aid to Lufthansa, which will massively distort competition," he added in the statement. ($1 = 0.9126 euros)