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Óscar Bartual Bardisa
Alicante
Viernes, 31 de enero 2025, 12:26
Ryanair is once again at odds with the government. After announcing the cancellation of flights due to "high regional AENA fees", including one connecting Alicante and Santander, this Thursday the accusations were directed at the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
The Irish low-cost airline has criticised Minister Pablo Bustinduy for the €179 million fine imposed on several airlines, including Ryanair, for charging for hand luggage, among other practices deemed by the Ministry to be against consumers.
In a statement, the company's CEO, Michael O'Leary, once again labelled the fine as "illegal" and warned that "this minister cannot suddenly overturn EU legislation in Spain or dictate to European airlines how to set their prices because the impact of this fine would be passed on to passengers with higher fares".
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Airlines are once again challenging the consumer fine after learning that Brussels is investigating the government's decision and are threatening to raise ticket prices, a move that, if implemented, would affect more than a third of the passengers at Alicante-Elche airport.
Ryanair is the leading airline at the Alicante terminal, transporting over 7.3 million passengers in 2024, according to AENA data, three times more than the second in line. Of these passengers, 3.66 million arrived at the terminal, while the rest were departures.
Ticket price increases would affect more than 42,373 flights a year operated by Ryanair at the airport located in El Altet, out of the 116,272 recorded by the Alicante aerodrome in 2024, an absolute record for the second consecutive year.
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Óscar Bartual Bardisa
Óscar Bartual Bardisa/EP
Ryanair thus continues to exert pressure following several statements issued by the Airline Association, coinciding with Europe's decision to investigate the Consumer Affairs fine. Despite all the threats, O'Leary remains confident that this scenario "will not happen" and argues that EU legislation "prevails over the illegal fines imposed by this misguided minister".
In this regard, the executive recalls that the "illegal" fines affect airlines that "have transformed air travel and tourism in Spain by reducing fares for consumers and families". The owner of the Irish company has reiterated that this is only possible "by encouraging them to travel with less luggage and pay for their seat if they wish".
Thus, he emphasised that the company transported 60 million passengers in Spain in 2024, passengers who "gladly" accepted their baggage and seating policies in exchange for "ultra-low" fares.
"The last thing Ryanair passengers want is for Mr Bustinduy to interfere or raise our low fares to engage in populism with illegal baggage fines that clearly violate EU laws," he concluded.
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