Spanish court suspends multi-million euro Ryanair fine for ‘abusive practices'
Airline CEO Michael O'Learly slammed Spanish authorities for 'interfering in low-cost travel.'
A Spanish court has suspended a multi-million euro fine previously imposed on Ryanair for their alleged 'abusive practices.'
The High Court of Madrid agreed to temporarily suspend the fines imposed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Ryanair, and Norwegian Air, Spanish publication 20 Minutos has reported.
The airlines were fined for practices such as charging travellers for hand luggage, reserving seats, and printing boarding passes at the airport.
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News in 90 Seconds - June 27th
Ryanair appealed the €107 million fine, which was imposed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in November 2024. Judges at the High Court of Justice suspended the fines on the provision that Ryanair provide a bank guarantee of €110 million, with Norwegian Air asked to guarantee €1.8 million.
In the ruling, judges said that the measure was to ensure the 'appropriate security' was provided by the airlines.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary welcomed the ruling, and slammed Spanish authorities for 'interfering with low-cost travel.'
'The Spanish courts have correctly upheld EU law, which protects the freedom of all EU airlines to set our own prices, a fundamental right guaranteed by Regulation (EC) 1008/2008,' he said, Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.
'The Court has also upheld the right of all Spanish passengers to choose how much cabin baggage they wish to carry and pay for, in addition to Ryanair's 'free bag', which exceeds the dimensions set by the EU
"With over €10 billion invested in Spain, Ryanair contributes over €24 billion to the country's GDP and supports over 10,000 direct jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers.
'Given the current political climate in Spain, Minister Bustinduy has far more pressing matters to attend to than interfering with low-cost air travel, a vital industry for the Spanish economy,' he continued.
'We now urge Minister Bustinduy to respect EU law and the needs of Spanish passengers and withdraw his illegal baggage fines."
Last year, the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs imposed sanctions on five low-cost Airlines, including Vueling, EasyJet and Volotea.
The companies were fined €39 million, €29 million, and €1.1 million, respectively.
Each company has filed an appeal; however, they are still awaiting resolution.
Sources from the High Court of Justice told 20minutos that the sanctions were suspended as they were the first two cases to reach the court from the National Court.
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