The case was filed in the Irish High Court on 5 October by the European Network Airlines Association, whose members include Lufthansa, Air France and KLM. It also targets the Irish Aviation Authority, which the group says has let Ryanair operate in breach of EU ownership rules.
Those rules require an EU airline to be more than 50 per cent owned and effectively controlled by EU countries or their citizens. Since Brexit, British shareholders no longer count, and Ryanair has restricted the voting rights of non-EU investors to stay within the rules. The airline group points to Ryanair's own figures showing that only 30 per cent of its shares were held by EU nationals at the end of March.
Ryanair says it fully complies with the rules and will fight the case, describing it as an attempt by rivals who cannot match its fares to restrict competition. It has also threatened to leave the industry body Airlines for Europe by the end of 2026 unless the legacy carriers leave first.
Ryanair continues to fly to Lanzarote from Madrid, Dublin, Cork, Shannon, London and many other cities. As always, check your booking and flight status before travelling, and sort out your airport transfer or hire car in good time, along with any excursions you want to book.
