EU opens proceedings against Spain for fining airlines 179m euros for charging hand luggage fees
The Spanish government will have two months to resolve the issues raised by the European Commission
The European Commission has opened infringement proceedings against Spain for fining airlines for charging hand luggage fees. On Wednesday, 8 October, Brussels sent Spain a formal warning letter, as it considers that the country has "failed to bring national legislation into line with European aviation rules" by fining Ryanair, Vueling, Norwegian Airlines and Volotea 179 million for charging hand luggage surcharges.
The EU considers that the Spanish law "restricts the freedom of airlines to set prices" and gives the authorities a period of two months to resolve these irregularities. More specifically, Brussels points out that "hand luggage that does not comply with certain weight or dimension requirements is subject to price freedom". However, Spanish law "does not allow airlines to fix an additional charge for any type of hand luggage, which restricts their freedom to fix a price and makes it impossible to differentiate between services that allow more hand luggage and those that do not".
The European Commission states that Spain's national law does not align with European regulations. The government will now enter into a dialogue with the European Commission, after which Brussels will determine whether Spain's efforts have been insufficient. In the end, the Commission may report Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
