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AMO SR decided on the abuse of dominant position by Bratislava Airport

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On 18 January 2018 the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic, the Division of Abuse of Dominant Position and Vertical Agreements, (hereafter "the Office") issued a decision, by which it imposed a fine in the amount of EUR 127 000 on the company Letisko M. R. Štefánika - Airport Bratislava, a.s., (BTS), Bratislava (hereafter "M. R. Štefánik Airport") for the abuse of dominant position.
 
The company M. R. Štefánik Airport operates the airport in Bratislava and its task is to manage the airport infrastructure and to provide aviation and non-aviation services mainly to carriers and passengers.
 
On 1 July 2016 M. R. Štefánik Airport introduced a fee for full VIP services provided in general aviation terminal, with the fee paid by every departing passenger passing through the general aviation terminal. The anti-competitive behaviour of the company consisted of setting the fee - the fee for full VIP services was not linked with the real use of full VIP services by passengers, but it was linked only with the entrance to the general aviation terminal, while the entrance to the terminal is charged by a different fee. This led to situation when the full VIP fee was paid also by clients who were not interested in using such services and who did not use the services.
 
The Office evaluated the conduct of M. R. Štefánik Airport as the abuse of dominant position by inappropriate conditions according to the Article 8 Paragraph 2 Letter a) of the Act on Protection of Competition and Article 102 Letter a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The anti-competitive conduct ended on 31 August 2017.
 
Within the administrative proceedings M. R. Štefánik Airport submitted an application for settlement according to Article 1 Paragraph 1 of the Decree of the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic which establishes the details of settlement conditions. After evaluating all facts, the Office agreed with settlement process, on the basis of which it reduced the fine by 30 % of the original fine imposed on M. R. Štefánik Airport, i. e. to the sum of EUR 127 000.
 
The decision came into force on 5 February 2018.