Ryanair is ready to appeal against a fine of 300 million forints ($780,000) , what it said is a "baseless" fine from the Hungarian consumer protection agency, the airline said in an emailed response on Monday.
Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government in May announced a tax worth 800 billion forints on "extra profits" earned by major companies . It is being said, the tax was intended to plug budget holes created by a spending spree that helped him gain re-election in April.
The justice minister said on Monday , Hungary has fined Ryanair 300 million forints ($779,464) after a consumer protection investigation over the airline passing on the cost of a special tax levied on the industry to shore up the Hungarian budget.
"The consumer protection authority has found a breach of the law today, because the airline has misled customers with its unfair business practice," Justice Minister Judit Varga said in a Facebook post.
Fejlemény Ryanair-ügyben❗️ Június 10-én Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala fogyasztóvédelmi hatósági eljárást indított a...
Posted by Varga Judit on Monday, August 8, 2022
In it's reaction , Ryanair released a statement saying ,
"Ryanair will immediately appeal any baseless fine raised by the Hungarian Consumer Protection Agency. No notice of any such fine has yet been received by Ryanair. If necessary, Ryanair will appeal this matter to the EU courts."
Ryanair had called on Orban's government to scrap what it called a "misguided" new tax, which is levied at a rate per departing passenger . The tax would damage Hungarian tourism and the economy, the airline said.
It said today that it would appeal the "baseless" fine, adding that no notice of any such fine has yet been received by it.
"As the Hungarian Govt is well aware, EU Reg 1008/2008 allows all EU airlines the freedom to set airfares for their intra-EU air services as they so choose, without any interference from national governments or their Consumer Protection Agencies.
