AGCOM has imposed a record fine on Ryanair DAC, jointly and severally with its parent company Ryanair Holdings plc, amounting to over 255 million euros. The decision comes at the end of a long investigation and concerns an alleged abuse of a dominant position in the market for air transport services to and from Italy, which lasted from April 2023 to April 2025. According to the Antitrust, the Irish company exploited its weight on the market to influence the activity of travel agencies, both online and physical.
Ryanair is considered to be in a dominant position thanks to a share of between 38 and 40% of passengers transported on national and European routes with origin or destination in Italy. This assessment is strengthened not only by the numbers, but also by other structural indicators, such as the strong gap compared to the main competitors and the ability to operate independently from market dynamics. For the Authority, these elements give the company significant power, such as to influence the entire tourism services chain.
The disputed practices
At the heart of the measure is a complex strategy that would have made it more difficult, expensive or technically complex for OTAs and traditional agencies to purchase Ryanair tickets to combine with other flights or tourist services. Among the contested measures are the introduction of facial recognition procedures, the blocking of payments, the mass deletion of accounts and the imposition of partnership agreements with restrictive conditions. According to the Antitrust, these actions would have reduced downstream competition, limiting choices for consumers.
The Authority believes that such conduct has also affected the online visibility of the agencies, penalizing their access to Internet traffic and compromising the offer of integrated tourist packages. Only in April 2025, with the making available of the API and the iFrame whitelabel solution, did Ryanair begin a partial restoration of more balanced competitive conditions. However, for the Antitrust, the damage to the market had already been significant.
Ryanair’s reaction: appeal announced
The company described the measure as “bizarre and unfounded“, announcing an immediate appeal. Ryanair claims that its direct distribution model guarantees lower fares and concrete benefits to consumers, recalling a previous ruling by the Court of Milan.
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