Ryanair fights off European squeeze on its ticket prices

Ryanair is facing challenges at both ends of its price range, with Europe’s largest airline taking aim at proposed minimum fares in France after fending off a cap on what it charges in Italy. France, where Ryanair serves cities such as Marseille and Bordeaux, has floated proposals for a minimum ticket price in an effort to reduce pollution from aviation. Across the border in Italy, Ryanair is the clear market leader and says its expansion plans remain on course after a public dispute with the government over a plan to limit prices on flights to the holiday islands of Sicily and Sardinia. The French price proposal, which EU officials said has drawn some support from the Netherlands and Belgium, got short shrift from senior Ryanair executive Eddie Wilson. “They are trying to disenfranchise their own citizens,” he said, framing the proposal as an attempt to support national carriers at the expense of less affluent travellers. This summer’s standoff between Ryanair and the Italian government shows how central the low-cost carriers have become to life in Europe and how hard it is to rein them in. “Low cost air travel has been one of the great levellers in the European Union in terms of moving people around and integration of people,” added Wilson, CE of Ryanair DAC, the largest airline in the group. Having established a strong position in large parts of Western Europe, Ryanair is now looking east to countries such as Poland for further growth. Story has more.<br/>