Italy Fines Ryanair €256m for Abusing Market Position to Limit Online Travel Agents' Ticket Sales
Italy’s competition authority has fined Ryanair €256 million for abusing its dominant market position to restrict online travel agencies (OTAs) from selling Ryanair tickets. The fine covers conduct between April 2023 and at least April 2025.
The authority found that Ryanair employed tactics such as blocking OTAs from selling Ryanair tickets alongside other airlines or services, steering sales to its own Ryanair.com platform. Methods included facial recognition for third-party buyers, blocking booking attempts and payments, mass-deleting OTA accounts, and forcing partnerships that prohibited OTA sales involving other carriers.
These actions were judged to block or hinder consumers’ ability to purchase combined flight services, thus undermining competition in the market. Ryanair has stated it will appeal the ruling, calling it legally flawed and accusing OTAs of charging extra fees. CEO Michael O’Leary has previously campaigned against what he termed "pirate" travel agents.
Despite the fine, Ryanair's valuation rose to €31 billion, making it the world's second most valuable airline behind Delta Air Lines. O’Leary plans to hand over control within five to ten years and would receive €111 million in shares if he remains until the end of July 2028.
