Ryanair Under Investigation By The European Commission

This follows allegations that the airport offers Ryanair reduced airport charges for existing destinations and new scheduled flights.

The commission claim the discounts could be up to 31% for existing destinations and 48% for new services.

But the commission says that, in spite of requests, it has not been provided with the text of the agreement. It says Bratislava Airport has so far refused to comply with a request for a copy of the deal.

"Without access to this document, and on the basis of the information provided by the complainant, the Commission has doubts about its compatibility with EU rules on State aid," said the commission.

The European Commission ruled in 2004 that some of the state aid paid to Ryanair by the publicly-owned airport in Charleroi, south of the Belgian capital Brussels, was illegal.