Dutch court blocks Ryanair's move to shut Eindhoven base

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch court blocked Ryanair <RYA.I> on Thursday in its attempt to shut its base in the Netherlands and move crew elsewhere, saying the Irish low-cost carrier had abused its powers as an employer.

Ryanair said last month it would shut its base in Eindhoven on Nov. 5, moving 16 pilots who operate flights from the southern Dutch airport to locations abroad in order to cut costs.

The district court in 's-Hertogenbosch said Ryanair had failed to explain why the move was necessary and said the decision seemed to be retaliation for the European-wide strikes Dutch pilots had joined in recent months.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Edmund Blair)