While Western European carriers such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have been complaining about the alleged subsidies enjoyed by their rivals in the Middle East, their competitors in Eastern Europe receive massive government financial support. Most of these ex-flag carriers are state-owned anyway and would not be flying anywhere if private shareholders had to carry the huge losses incurred in the past 20 years. In many Eastern European countries, economic policies are fully supportive of using tax funds to keep the old airlines flying to ensure a sufficient transport infrastructure and thus protect general economic development.
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