Ryanair says Air France bailout to damage competition for decades

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A recapitalisation of Air France-KLM that will see France more than double its stake to nearly 30% will damage competition for decades to come, Europe's largest low-cost carrier Ryanair said on Tuesday.

"This latest tranche of state aid to Air France combined with these ineffective remedies will damage competition in the air transport market for decades to come," the airline said in an emailed statement.

"The 18 slots that Air France is being required to make available is nowhere near enough to allow others to offer a competitive challenge to Air France's dominance at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly airports," the statement said.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries and Laurence Frost; editing by David Evans)