Ryanair has announced it is to close its base at Marseille with effect from 11th January 2011, but that may not quite be the end of the story.

The decision to close the base has been made as a result of a legal action the company is having to defend in the French courts concerning alleged illegal work practices at the airport.

The legal action is being brought by the French police in charge of controlling workplace fraud, following a complaint to them made by the pilots union.

According to the police, Ryanair have employed around 200 aircrew at the base on Irish employment contracts, when they should be on French employment contracts.

This means that Ryanair are not liable for the substantial social security contributions paid by employers, nor are employees covered by the protective French employment laws.

Ryanair argue that because the staff work on aircraft registered in Ireland, for an employer based in Ireland, they are subject to Irish employment laws.

At a press conference announcing the decision, Michael O’Leary, the Chief Executive of the airline stated that: ‘'We are very disappointed at the decision of the French authorities to bring this action against the Ryanair base at Marseille, which conforms totally to EU regulations for transport workers’'.

Ryanair opened the base in Marseille at a purpose built low-cost terminal in November 2006, where it has four aircraft, as well as the aircrew. They use the base along with several other low-cost operators.

However, the decision by Ryanair does not mean the complete end of flights by them from Marseille, as the company has stated it will continue to run 10 of the 23 routes currently operating from the airport, including flights to the UK.

The airline also have an outstanding legal action lodged with the European Court of Justice claiming that the decision of the French authorities is contrary to the free movement of labour, and they have stated that if they win that judgement, they will return to Marseille.

Neither is it too late for Ryanair to change its mind if an accord with the French authorities can be found over the next three months.

Whether by coincidence or design, on the same day that Ryanair announced their departure, Transavia, the low-cost subsidiary of Air France-KLM, announced that they would start flights from the terminal later this month.

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