Italy’s antitrust authority fines Ryanair more than 255 million euros for abusing its dominant market position. The watchdog said on Tuesday that the low-cost airline restricted competition in domestic and European passenger air transport to and from Italy.
An investigation found that Ryanair adopted a strategy that limited the ability of online and traditional travel agencies to sell its flights.
The authority said the airline blocked, hindered or made bookings more difficult when tickets were combined with flights from other carriers or with tourism and insurance services.
Ryanair began the strategy in April 2023. The measures became more restrictive over time. They included facial recognition checks on Ryanair’s website for customers who bought tickets through travel agencies.
The airline also blocked booking attempts made by agencies and imposed partnership agreements. These agreements limited agencies’ ability to sell Ryanair flights alongside other services. The authority said the conduct weakened competition from travel agencies. It added that this reduced the quality and range of tourism services available to consumers. As a result the antitrust authority fines Ryanair €255million.
