Milan, 23 December (LaPresse) – "Ryanair has today instructed its lawyers to lodge an immediate appeal against both the bizarre/unfounded ruling and the €256 million fine unjustly imposed by the Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), which aims to ignore – and overturn – the previous ruling of the Court of Milan in January 2024, which stated that Ryanair's direct distribution model “undoubtedly benefits consumers” and leads to “competitive fares”." This is according to a statement from the airline. ‘The AGCM's unfounded attempts to redefine a period of time after the Milan Court's ruling and to erroneously claim that Ryanair holds a dominant position on air services to/from Italy will be overturned. This ruling and the fine are legally unfounded and will be overturned on appeal,’ continues Ryanair's statement. Ryanair, the airline's statement adds, ‘has been fighting for many years to offer consumers the lowest fares by booking directly on the ryanair.com website. This direct distribution model was declared “undoubtedly beneficial to consumers” by the Court of Milan as early as January 2024.’ Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary states in the note: "When Ryanair started its business in 1985, 20% of ticket revenue was wasted paying travel agencies 10% commission and GDS systems 10% commission, in an industry with high fares but profit margins of less than 1%. The internet and ryanair.com have enabled Ryanair to distribute directly to consumers, and Ryanair has passed on these 20% cost savings in the form of the lowest airfares in Italy and Europe. Today's AGCM ruling is legally unfounded and contradicts the previous ruling of the Milan Court in January 2024, which stated that Ryanair's direct distribution model “undoubtedly benefits consumers”.