Italy's new pricing cap was first announced in August, and Ryanair has been a staunch opponent of it, considering the decree "totally illegal." Urso denied the proposal is illegal and cited that Ryanair had "been punished 11 times for having breached the market rules and the rights of consumers of this country."

The tension between the Italian government and Ryanair reached a legal peak in late 2025 and early 2026. While the Italian government attempted to pass decrees capping airfares to Sicily and Sardinia to prevent "algorithmic price gouging" during peak seasons, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) recently focused its enforcement on Ryanair's dominant market position. In December 2025, Ryanair was fined over €255 million for abusing its dominant position by hindering travel agencies from offering its flights. Ryanair has argued that government price caps are "illegal" under European Union law, which guarantees airlines the freedom to set their own prices. As of February 2026, the specific "price cap" decrees remain legally contentious and are often tied up in European Court appeals, while Ryanair continues to battle Italian regulators over its distribution practices. This ongoing saga highlights the clash between national consumer protection efforts and the EU’s deregulated "Single Aviation Market" principles.