Laurence Dollimore
RYANAIR’S battles in Spain appear to be mounting after the region of Andalucia announced it is sanctioning the airline for ‘illegal’ hand luggage fines.
It comes amid a row between the carrier’s CEO Michael O’Leary and national consumers’ minister Pablo Bustinduy, over the historic €108m fine issued by the government against Ryanair for ‘abusive practices’.
Since being issued last year, Ryanair has announced it will cease operations in airports such as Jerez, while O’Leary has branded Bustinduy a ‘crazy communist’ and a ‘clown’.
Now, the Junta de Andalucia is bringing its own fines to the budget airline, after 22 court cases found their hand luggage surcharges to be ‘illegal’.
The Junta is proposing a fine of €46,250, but consumer rights group FACUA believes it should be as high as €1million.
FACUA general secretary Ruben Sanchez said: “The illegality is clear, there are already dozens of court rulings. The Ministry of Consumption is fining Ryanair €108million and now it is the turn of the autonomous communities.”
In a statement, FACUA said the Junta has branded the ‘infractions’ by Ryanair as ‘serious’.
However, the consumer rights group has appealed to have their level increased to ‘very serious’, which would see the fine surge to between €60,001 and €1million.
