AlQa'dah 04, 1433, September 20, 2012, SPA -- Czech state aid granted to its national airline does not breach European Union anti-competition rules, dpa quoted the bloc's executive as saying Thursday. The European Commission launched a probe after Czech Airlines(CSA) received a 2.5-billion-koruna (130-million-dollar) loan by a state-owned company to finance its restructuring plan. The EU has strict rules obliging companies receiving state aid to reduce their operations, to minimize any competitive advantage they may derive from the government support and to show they can return to profitability once the aid ceases. Czech Airlines had met these criteria, the commission said. "The aid will help Czech Airlines to become viable again while minimizing its negative impact on competition in the aviation sector," said commission vice-president Joaquin Almunia.
