Ryanair faces massive fine in Italy over ‘abusive strategy’
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Italy’s competition authority AGCM claims the budget airline blocked payment methods and mass-deleted accounts to manipulate travel agencies and force them into partnerships. Ryanair has pledged to appeal the fine.
Ryanair faces massive fine in Italy over ‘abusive strategy.
Italy’s competition authority AGCM claims the budget airline blocked payment methods and mass-deleted accounts to manipulate travel agencies and force them into partnerships. Ryanair has pledged to appeal the fine.
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People board Ryanair plane at Rome Ciampino Airport in Ciampino, Italy on April 27, 2025.
The alleged abuse took place from April 2023 to at least April of 2025, the regulator saysImage: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/picture alliance
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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
