Ryanair has been fined €256m (£223m) by Italy's competition authority for abusing its dominant market position to limit ticket sales by online travel agents. The authority said Europe's largest airline had implemented an "abusive strategy" of technical obstacles to make it difficult for agents to sell Ryanair tickets, instead forcing passengers to book through its own website.
The fine relates to conduct between April 2023 and at least April 2025, during which Ryanair prevented online agents from selling its flights in combination with other airlines and services. The authority said this weakened competition. Ryanair immediately announced it would appeal against what it called a "legally flawed" ruling.
Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, has long waged a campaign against "pirate" travel agents such as Booking.com, Kiwi and Kayak, accusing them of overcharging consumers. Tactics employed by the airline included rolling out facial recognition for passengers who bought tickets via third parties, blocking payment methods, and mass-deleting agents' accounts. Only in April this year did Ryanair allow agents' websites to link directly to its services.
Despite a drop in sales caused by the removal of its flights from agents' websites in late 2023, Ryanair has reached a record valuation of €31bn (£27bn), making it the world's second most valuable airline behind Delta Air Lines. O'Leary, who is planning to hand over control within the next five to ten years, has been promised shares worth €111m (£97m) if he stays until July 2028.
Reacting to the fine, O'Leary described it as "an affront to consumer protection and competition law", arguing that Ryanair's direct sales model has delivered the lowest fares in Italy and Europe. He said the airline looks forward to "overturning this legally flawed ruling" in the courts.
