Italy's top administrative court has annulled a €4.2m fine by the country's competition authority against Ryanair over Covid-19 flight cancellations, the airline said today.
Ryanair said the court found that the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) had discriminated against the airline by rejecting its proposed commitments without dialogue, while accepting similar commitments from other airlines, including Alitalia, Vueling and Blue Panorama.
The Council of State held that the AGCM's conduct breached core principles of administrative and competition law, stating that the AGCM's discretion had been exercised "in a manner inconsistent with the principles of coherence, reasonableness and non‑discrimination".
The airline said that today's ruling raises serious questions about whether the AGCM staff can be trusted or relied upon to act "objectively, consistently and in accordance with judicial precedent", particularly where Ryanair is concerned.
It has also called on Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to urgently reform the Italian Competition Authority.
"Today’s binding ruling by the Council of State raises serious questions about the AGCM’s impartiality and its treatment of Ryanair," the airline's group chief executive Michael O’Leary said.
"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," Mr O'Leary said.
He also said the airline was appealing a separate €256m fine imposed by the agency in December.
