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eDreams ODIGEO Secures Rulings, Ryanair Fined for Breach of Court Order and Forced to Cease Unlawful Practices

  • German Court fines Ryanair for "bad faith" defiance of binding legal injunction secured by eDreams ODIGEO last year.
  • Judge confirms Ryanair had resources to comply immediately but chose not to, remaining in breach today.
  • In a separate decision, the Court declares Ryanair's "non-refundable" policy and abusive tax refund fees illegal and void.
  • Ruling adds to mounting list of decisions against Ryanair's unlawful behaviour across Europe, leading to historic fines in Italy (€255m) and Spain (€108m).
  • eDreams ODIGEO urges EU authorities to enforce the rule of law against Ryanair's systematic abuses and non-compliance.

HAMBURG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In two separate rulings secured by eDreams ODIGEO (hereinafter, ‘eDO'), the German Court not only penalised Ryanair for its disobedience to court orders but also declared several of the airline's core commercial practices unlawful.

Ryanair (NASDAQ: RYAAY; Euronext Dublin: RYA) has been fined by the Regional Court of Hamburg for its refusal to comply with judicial mandates, marking yet another instance where the airline refuses to respect the rule of law.

Ryanair's systemic pattern of non-compliance

The German court imposed a penalty on Ryanair for breaching an injunction granted to eDO in May 2025. The Judge ruled that the airline acted with "fault" by leaving banned terms on its website after being ordered to remove them.

Dismissing Ryanair's defence that these delays were "outside its control" as baseless, the Court highlighted that as a major European airline, Ryanair possesses the necessary resources to comply with court orders immediately but chose not to. Ryanair continues in breach of this order as of today.

This decision reinforces Ryanair's disregard for legal authority, a trend visible across Europe. The ruling arrives shortly after Ryanair faced record-breaking sanctions in other jurisdictions, including a €256 million fine in Italy for abuse of dominance and a €108 million fine in Spain for serious consumer rights breaches, alongside prior condemnations in France for violating EU passenger rights regulations, among others.

Crucially, the German Court's finding of "bad faith" confirms a specific pattern of obstruction that mirrors the airline's conduct elsewhere. In Spain, Ryanair continues to flagrantly breach binding orders issued by Commercial Court No. 12 of Barcelona. Despite receiving an unprecedented formal warning regarding potential criminal liabilities for ignoring prior interim measures, the airline continues to this date to ignore the Court's mandate to cease its unfair competition and retract denigrating falsehoods that mislead consumers.

In light of this systematic unlawful behaviour, eDreams ODIGEO is calling on authorities across Europe to urgently enforce their duty and protect consumers from Ryanair's non-compliance.

Court rules on Ryanair's unlawful practices

In a separate substantive ruling secured by eDO, the Hamburg Court dismantled key pillars of Ryanair's anti-consumer strategy:

  • Deceptive consent: The Court ruled that Ryanair's mechanism for forcing user consent through a "Search" button that automatically pre-ticks a box for Terms & Conditions is prohibited. The judgment found this design deceives consumers into believing they have made a choice when they have not, invalidating the very terms Ryanair uses to restrict passengers.
  • Abusive refund restrictions: The Court declared Ryanair's blanket "non-refundable" policy (Clause 10.1) invalid, confirming it illegally contradicts statutory law and misleads passengers about their rights to reimbursement.
  • Illegal fees: The airline's "administration fee" for processing government tax refunds was also declared void. The Judge ruled this fee is "unreasonably disadvantageous" as it often exceeds the refund amount itself, effectively allowing Ryanair to pocket public taxes that belong to the customer.

eDreams ODIGEO has long voiced concerns about Ryanair's breach of refund regulations and urges authorities to enforce compliance to protect consumers.

Guillaume Teissonnière, General Counsel at eDreams ODIGEO, commented: “Ryanair starts 2026 with yet another court ruling confirming its blatant disregard for the law. These German rulings are particularly telling because they condemn Ryanair not just for its unlawful practices, but most notably for its bad-faith refusal to obey court orders. The Judge's findings once again show Ryanair's deliberate pattern of obstruction that we see repeated across Europe.

It is unacceptable that Ryanair is allowed to continue operating in breach of applicable laws across jurisdictions. This systematic non-compliance destroys the level playing field in the industry and harms consumers every single day. We call on EU-wide and national authorities to uphold their duty to enforce the rule of law, once and for all. Consumers must be protected from this defiant behaviour; no airline should be entitled to bypass the rules that everyone else must follow.”

-ENDS-

About eDreams ODIGEO

eDreams ODIGEO is the world's leading travel subscription platform. It pioneered Prime, the first and largest travel subscription programme, which has topped over 7.7 million members since launching in 2017. Prime members are subscribed to global travel, gaining access to a comprehensive multi-product offering for all their travel needs—including hotels, rail, flights, dynamic packages and car rental, among others— compounded by industry-leading flexibility features and exclusive, member-only benefits. This entire Prime experience is powered by a proprietary, industry-leading AI platform that delivers a hyper-personalised service to its members. Listed on the Spanish Stock Market, the Company operates in 44 markets through its renowned brands—eDreams, GO Voyages, Opodo, Travellink, and the metasearch engine Liligo—to deliver a smarter, hyper-personalised, and comprehensive travel experience globally.

Contacts

E: edreamspressoffice@instinctif.com
T: +(44)07879086840

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Contacts

E: edreamspressoffice@instinctif.com
T: +(44)07879086840

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