"That's something I cannot accept because the rules of competition should be the same for everyone," Le Maire said. "I will therefore be writing to the European Commission this coming week to tell them to put these things in order." XL Airways is the second small French airline to enter bankruptcy protection in September, after the collapse of Aigle Azur, which stranded 19,000 passengers and was formally liquidated on Friday.
Norwegian Air, Europe's third-largest budget carrier, has been forced to raise new capital and postpone debt repayments as it struggles with mounting losses. Earlier in the year, the low-cost airline raised 3 billion Norwegian crowns ($331 million) in a rights issue partly underwritten by DNB Bank, in which Norway owns a 34% stake.