RYANAIR HAS lost a High Court bid to stop the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) requiring it to sign a licensing and fee agreement before it instals self-service ticketing kiosks at the airport.
Mr Justice John MacMenamin refused an application by Ryanair for an injunction restraining the DAA from interfering with its installation of 44 kiosks. Ryanair had sought the injunction pending the outcome of legal proceedings against the DAA.
Ryanair had claimed there was insufficient consultation about a new licensing and charging system for the kiosks and that Aer Lingus had been treated differently by the DAA in relation to kiosks.
It alleged the DAA was abusing its dominant position to force the signing of a licensing system.
During the two-day hearing, the court was told that Ryanair had withheld about €8.4 million in airport charges in the row over the kiosks and had only paid over the money after the DAA initiated proceedings in the Commercial Court.
Mr Justice MacMenamin said yesterday that Ryanair's withholding of the airport charges, in an attempt to force the issue over the kiosks, was "ill-advised" and "grossly disproportionate". As the total charges due for the 44 Ryanair kiosks was about €52,000 a year, the retention of the €8.4 million was not justified, he said.
The judge also criticised Ryanair for failing to write to the DAA from April 22nd last to clearly indicate its intention to dispute its entitlement to impose a charge.