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Spanish court suspends fines for two airlines over cabin bag fees
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
A Spanish court has temporarily suspended fines for Ryanair and Norwegian Air over cabin bag fees, pending appeal, requiring bank guarantees during the suspension.
MADRID (Reuters) -A Spanish court on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to a fine slapped by the government on two budget airlines, including Ryanair, for practices such as charging for larger cabin bags, which according to the consumer ministry violated customer rights.
The airlines have appealed the decision, and the court said it was impossible to get to the bottom of the issue at the moment, and paying the fine while it is being challenged in court would financially strain the companies.
The injunction order effectively maintains the airlines' policies until a final decision is reached, and represents a first victory for the airlines.
Ryanair and Norwegian Air logged the appeal after they were fined 109.6 million euros ($128.40 million) last year, saying they believe the fine has no basis.
Madrid's administrative court ordered both airlines to issue bank guarantees worth 111.8 million euros, equivalent to the sanctions plus interest, while the suspension is in place, it said in a statement.
Industry group ALA praised the court's decision and claimed that the fines have no basis. It argued the fines "limit customers' ability to choose, and distort (the European Union's) common market". It said airlines would continue their charging policy until a final ruling is issued.
Other airlines were also fined by Spain's consumer rights ministry last year. ALA said it hoped the court ruling will be later applied to all airlines.
The ministry imposed a combined sanction of 179 million euros to all the airlines, which also included IAG's low-cost unit Vueling, easyJet, and Volotea.
It argued they violated customers' rights when charging for larger carry-on bags, picking seats or boarding pass print-outs and not allowing cash payments at check-in desks or to buy items on board.
($1 = 0.8536 euros)
(Reporting by Joan Faus and Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Aurora Ellis)
The Spanish court ordered a temporary halt to the fines imposed on Ryanair and Norwegian Air for charging larger cabin bag fees, allowing their policies to remain in place while the decision is appealed.
The airlines were fined a total of 109.6 million euros, which is approximately $128.40 million, last year for their practices related to cabin bag fees.
The industry group ALA praised the court's ruling, claiming that the fines had no basis and argued that they limited customer choice and distorted the EU's common market.
The injunction order allows the airlines to continue their current policies regarding cabin bag fees until a final decision is made, representing a significant win for them during the appeal process.
In addition to Ryanair and Norwegian Air, other airlines such as IAG's low-cost unit Vueling, easyJet, and Volotea were also fined by the ministry, contributing to a total sanction of 179 million euros.
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