Ryanair’s quarterly profits have fallen after a fine imposed by the Italian competition watchdog and the company plans to raise ticket prices, writes the BBC.
The company, known for its low-cost flights, reported a profit of 24.4 million euros in the last quarter of 2025 before tax. Compared with the same period in 2024, profits fell by 83%.
Despite the profit drop, the company expressed optimism, indicating that this year it expects passenger numbers to increase by 4%, to almost 208 million travelers. At the same time, ticket prices are expected to increase by 8-9% in 2026.
In December, Italy’s competition watchdog fined Ryanair 256 million euros for abusing its dominant position by preventing travel agencies from using its services.
Ryanair also said in its quarterly earnings report on the 26th of January that it had appealed Italy’s fine,
calling it unjustified. In its ruling, the Italian Competition Council said the company had been using a carefully crafted strategy to make it difficult for online and traditional travel agents to buy flights on Ryanair’s website. The airline’s strategy had blocked or hindered purchases, or made them economically or technically difficult, particularly when flights were combined with services from other airlines or with travel and insurance services.
Ryanair said it was confident the fine would be lifted. The airline came under media scrutiny in mid-January when its chief executive Michael O’Leary rejected the idea of using American billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink technology to provide wireless internet connectivity on its planes. The two ended up in an online spat that reportedly led to a small increase in flight sales, and the company thanked Musk for his efforts in boosting the publicity.
The Irish airline plans to increase annual passenger numbers to 300 million by 2030.
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