Ryanair Airlines on Wednesday lost a legal fight in the European Union's second court against state aid being granted to virus-hit rivals Air France and Sweden 's SAS via national schemes. Judges at the Europeon Union’s General Court in Luxembourg backed EU competition regulators who had allowed the support under loosened rules.

The court said the French and Swedish schemes were in line with the bloc's rules. The airline industry has been one of the hardest-hit by virus-related restrictions and lockdowns imposed by governments worldwide. "That aid scheme is appropriate for making good the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and does not constitute discrimination," the court said, referring to the French scheme.

For the Swedish scheme, it said: "The scheme at issue is presumed to have been adopted in the interest of the European Union." Ryanair said it would appeal to the EU Court of Justice in a process likely to take several years.

The company had taken issue with the European Commission for clearing a French scheme allowing airlines to defer certain aeronautical taxes and Sweden's loan guarantee scheme for airlines. Both schemes benefited their flag carriers. Europe's biggest budget airline has filed 16 lawsuits against the Commission for allowing state aid to individual airlines such as Lufthansa, KLM, Austrian Airlines and TAP, as well as national schemes that mainly benefit flag carriers.

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine: Singapore receives first shipment

Thailand's Deputy PM says Sinovac vaccines to arrive starting next week

Indonesia's landslide: Death toll rises to 12