Tuesday 23 / December / 2025
Rome: Italy's competition authority (AGCM) has hit Ryanair with a fine of more than €255 million ($300 million) for abusing its dominant position.
The regulator said the low-cost airline blocked or restricted travel agencies from offering flights combined with other airlines or services.
The alleged practices took place from 2023 and continued "at least" until April 2025.
Ryanair used 'an abusive strategy'
The AGCM said the company tried to prevent or complicate travel agents’ ability to buy Ryanair flights on its website, whether alone or bundled with other airlines or services.
The agency described it as "an abusive strategy to hinder travel agencies."
"Ryanair rolled out facial recognition procedures on its website aimed at users who purchased their ticket through a travel agency," the authority said in a statement.
It added that Europe's largest budget airline then "totally or intermittently blocked booking attempts by travel agencies on its website, for example, by blocking payment methods and mass-deleting accounts."
This reduced competition and raised costs for consumers, according to the AGCM.
Eventually, according to the Italian government watchdog, Ryanair "imposed partnership agreements" on the online travel agencies (OTAs).
"To 'persuade' agencies to partner up, Ryanair periodically blocked bookings and launched an aggressive communication campaign against non-signatory OTAs, labelling them 'pirate OTAs.'," the AGCM said.
Ryanair to appeal AGCM ruling
The airline said it would fight the "bizarre/unsound" Italian fine.
"Ryanair has campaigned for many years to offer consumers the lowest fares by booking directly on the ryanair.com website," it said in a statement..
It added the direct distribution model was ruled to "undoubtedly benefit consumers" by the Milan Court in January 2024.
"Ryanair has grown rapidly in Italy — and in many other markets across Europe — by always offering the lowest air fares in every single market in which we operate. This legally baseless AGCM Ruling, and its absurd €256m fine, undermines consumer protection and competition law, and it will be overturned on appeal," Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said.
