12 M Passengers at Charleroi

Ryanair Holdings PLC
26 March 2008




         RYANAIR CELEBRATES 12 MILLION PASSENGERS AT BRUSSELS CHARLEROI


Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline today (Wednesday, 26th March 2008)
celebrated carrying 12m passengers to / from Brussels Charleroi since launching
its first route there in 1997. Ryanair has since grown to 26 routes serving 2.5m
passengers p.a.

Ryanair's low cost partnership with Charleroi has saved Belgian consumers /
visitors €1.2bn compared to the high fares charged by airlines at Zaventem
airport and has transformed Charleroi Airport from a loss making burden on the
Walloon region into a profitable wealth generator.

Ryanair's appeal of the European Commission's unlawful Charleroi State Aid
ruling was heard two weeks ago in Luxembourg. To make its unlawful ruling, the
Commission invented unique and discriminatory rules and ignored its own Market
Economy Investor Principal (MEIP) which allows public and privately owned
companies to compete on a level playing field. Ryanair looks forward to a
decision which vindicates the Charleroi agreement and exposes the European
Commission's bias.

The European Commission has repeatedly ignored Ryanair's complaints about
billions of euro in state aid given to high fare flag carriers while
investigating spurious complaints from competitors, about free market deals at
tiny regional airports which are perfectly lawful under the Commission's own
MEIP rules. The latest of these baseless complaints (Bratislava airport) was
announced the day before the Charleroi Appeal hearing in a pathetic attempt by
the politically corrupt European Commission to put pressure on the independent
European Court of First Instance.

Against Ryanair: Submitted Investigation

Berlin                                   Aug ' 03        Jul '07

Alghero                                  Dec '03         Aug '07

Aarhus                                   Jan '05         Jul '07

Tampere                                  Feb '05         Jul '07

Lubeck                                   Feb '06         Jul '07

Pau                                      Nov '06         Nov '07

Bratislava                               Jan '07         Mar '08

By Ryanair:

Lufthansa (Munich Airport)               Nov '05         No Action

Alitalia (Bailouts)                      Dec '05         No Action

Air France (Disc. Charges)               May '06         No Action

Olympic (Bailouts)                       Dec '06         No Action

KLM (Ecotax)                             Feb '08         No Action




The Commission also demonstrated its political bias against Ryanair by
prohibiting the Aer Lingus merger while approving far larger airline mergers
such as Lufthansa/Swiss, Air France/ KLM and shortly Air France/Alitalia.
Ryanair's offer for Aer Lingus guaranteed to reduce Aer Lingus' fares and
eliminate fuel surcharges, saving Aer Lingus passengers over €100m p.a. Since
this unlawful EU prohibition (the first EU prohibition of any airline merger)
Aer Lingus has increased fares and fuel surcharges. Ryanair looks forward to
overturning this unjust and corrupt merger prohibition on appeal.

Welcoming its 12 millionth passenger in Brussels, Ryanair's Michael O'Leary
said:

        'Ryanair's agreement with Charleroi airport has been great news for
        Belgian tourism, Belgian business and above all the 12 million consumers
        who have saved over €1.2 billion thanks to Ryanair's low fares. We look
        forward to overturning the European Commission's unlawful state aid
        finding in Charleroi and to ending its discrimination against Ryanair's
        low cost deals at regional airports across Europe.

        'The European Commission's attempts to block competition and choice
        whilst failing to take action against the billions of euro in unlawful
        state aid given to flag carrier airlines must end. Ryanair again calls
        on the Commission to stop putting rule breaking Governments before
        consumers'.

Ends. Wednesday, 26th March 2008

For further information:

Peter Sherrard                            Hans Karperien

Ryanair                                   Worldcom

Tel. [phone]                       Tel. [phone] 


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