Ryanair. Photo: Shutterstock Italy's top administrative court (Council of State)today (Wednesday, May 13) published a final and binding decision canceling a fine of 4.2 million euros imposed on Ryanair in 2021 by the Italian competition authority, AGCM, following flight cancellations during the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to the ruling, the AGCM acted discriminatorily towards Ryanair by rejecting the commitments offered by the company without dialogue, while in similar cases it accepted commitments from other airlines, including Alitalia (now ITA Airways), Vueling, and Blue Panorama. The court ruled that the Authority's conduct was contrary to the principles of consistency, reasonableness and non-discrimination.
Ryanair claims that the decision also has implications for another fine imposed on the company by the AGCM, amounting to €256 million, relating to its direct ticket distribution policy. The company has already appealed the decision and emphasizes that the Milan Court of Appeal ruled in January 2024 that Ryanair's direct distribution model benefits consumers, contributes to lower prices and enables direct communication with passengers.
Following the ruling, Ryanair appealed to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, demanding urgent reform of the AGCA, claiming that the authority was acting unfairly towards the company.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary: “Today’s binding ruling by the Council of State raises serious questions about the AGCM’s impartiality and its treatment of Ryanair. The Court ruled that the AGCM discriminated against Ryanair by applying different standards than it did to other airlines in equivalent cases, which is in clear breach of the basic principles of justice.
These findings are deeply damaging to the AGCM’s reputation, and give clear context to the AGCM’s bizarre Dec 2025 €256m fine (for our direct distribution policy), which contradicts the clear precedent ruling of the Milan Court of Appeal in January 2024, where Ryanair’s direct distribution model was found to ‘undoubtedly benefit consumers’ and deliver competitive fares.
Ryanair has appealed this legally flawed AGCM fine and is confident that, once again, the Italian courts will uphold the rule of law, respect judicial precedent, and overturn another unlawful AGCM ruling. We call on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to urgently reform the AGCM to ensure it acts fairly and in the best interest of consumers, rather than unfairly targeting Ryanair with baseless claims and unlawful fines.”