Spain court suspends huge Ryanair 'abusive practices' fine

A Spanish court on Thursday said it had temporarily suspended heavy fines the leftist government imposed on budget airlines Ryanair and Norwegian Air for "abusive practices" such as charging for hand luggage.

The Madrid court said it accepted their appeals against the respective fines of 107 million euros ($125 million) and 1.6 million euros while the basis of the case was still being resolved.

The court also justified its decision by the costliness of the fines which would "cause a mismatch and difficulties for the treasury" of the companies.

The airlines will meanwhile have to pay guarantees collectively totalling almost 112 million euros.

The consumer ministry announced fines against five companies in November for what it identified as "abusive practices", including charging for hand luggage, providing misleading information and a lack of price transparency.

Irish no-frills carrier Ryanair was specifically fined for charging passengers a "disproportionate amount" for printing their boarding passes at terminals when they did not have them.

EasyJet and Spanish airlines Volotea and Vueling were also among the punished firms.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary slammed the "political" fines at the time as "illegal and baseless".

Far-left consumer rights minister Pablo Bustinduy, who has become embroiled in a spat with Ryanair over his policies, conceded the practices would continue until the courts decided the affair.

The successful appeals were "normal and predictable under the rule of law", but "charging for hand luggage is illegal", he insisted on social network Bluesky.

The European Parliament's transport commission has proposed allowing passengers to bring a personal object such as a handbag or backpack on board, as well as another piece of luggage weighing seven kilograms at most.

But the sector association Airlines for Europe says the move would increase the cost of tickets for passengers who choose to travel light.

Source: AFP