Italian authorities fine Ryanair over cancelled flights

ITALIAN authorities have fined Ryanair €1.85m over the impact on passengers of the mass flight cancellations in September last year.

Italy’s AGCM competition authority said it levied the fine because the flight cancellations were a result of “organisational and management problems” at Ryanair, and not “unforeseen issues” beyond its control.

AGCM also said Ryanair was initially misleading in the ways in which it informed passengers of the cancellations – offering two possible solutions – a refund or ticket change to customer but not adequately informing them of their further right to compensation.

The fine would have been larger but the airline had improved its contact with customers and became more “proactive” in communication with consumers, AGCM said.

Ryanair updated the information on its website in February, and has directly contacted those affected, AGCM said.

The cancellations affected flights across Europe, and the head of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said at the time he was “furious” at the manner in which cancellations had been announced.

Meanwhile, European Union competition authorities said they’ll decide by July 12 whether to wave through Ryanair’s bid for 75pc of the former Niki airline, now called Laudamotion.

Ryanair formally sought approval for the deal on Thursday as it moves to consolidate its foothold in Austria, a fast-growing hub for eastern European destinations.

The EU can clear the deal, impose conditions, or open a four-month investigation if it has serious concerns the deal may hurt competition.