The Italian Competition Authority imposed a fine of more than 255 million on Ryanair, for practices considered abusive against travel agencies, the regulator announced.
The investigation concluded that the airline, which holds between 38% and 40% of passengers on routes to and from Italy, used this market power to hinder the activity of online and traditional travel agencies (OTAs) between April 2023 and at least April 2025, having already adopted preparatory measures at the end of 2022.
According to the authority, Ryanair implemented a set of actions that intensified throughout the period investigated: facial recognition procedures for users who purchased tickets via agencies, blocking booking attempts and the massive deletion of accounts associated with OTAs.
In early 2024, partnership agreements were imposed on OTAs and direct accounts of traditional agents with clauses prohibiting the combined offering of Ryanair flights with other services. At the same time, the carrier carried out an “aggressive communication campaign”, labeling non-signatory OTAs as “pirate OTAs”.
In April 2025, Ryanair also made available a solution iFrame white‑label for OTAs, a measure that the regulator understands to have arrived late and without mitigating previous competitive effects.
The Authority concluded that the practices adopted reduced the agencies’ ability to attract traffic and sell flights integrated with other operators or services, weakening competition and restricting the supply and quality available to consumers.