Ryanair's O’Leary threatens flight cuts over fines

BUDGET airline Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary has threatened theSpanish government that it will cut flight plans if fines levied on the company are not lifted. More than 60 fines were imposed at a value of more than €1.23million between 2009 and 2010.

The fines were for a variety of alleged infractions including refusing to accept identity cards and driving licencesas ID proof and disputes over luggage.

In a January letter to the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, O’Leary requested an ‘urgent’ meeting to discuss the issue, Spanish daily Expansion reported.

“Ryanair will not pay these disproportionate or discriminatory fines and should this result in enforcement orders, we will then begin the process of cutting,” wrote O’Leary.

The news comes on the tail of recent threats to ‘cut up to 80 per cent of its operations at El Altet airport as of October if the Spanish Airports Authority (AENA) forces Ryanair to use ‘unnecessary’ boarding bridges at the new terminal.

Airlines operating at El Altet’s new terminal – inaugurated on March 23 – must use boarding bridges to embark and disembark passengers, at a cost of more than €2million a year.