The antitrust authority on Monday fined Irish low-cost airline Ryanair 54,100 euros for a misleading publicity campaign that advertised flights ''from just 10 euros one-way, taxes included''.
The watchdog said the price in the ad, which appeared on the Ryanair website in April 2007, failed to take into account additional costs racked up by passengers using a credit card to book their tickets.
The antitrust ruling comes days after the airline upset the Italian government by hitting out at loss-making national carrier Alitalia in a website ad.
In the advert, Ryanair accuses the government of ''not giving a damn'' about Italian passengers, but supporting Alitalia's ''high tariffs and frequent strikes'' via financial aid to the ailing airline.
The ad is accompanied by a now-famous photo of Reforms Minister Umberto Bossi raising his middle finger, taken earlier this month when the minister swore at the national anthem during a Northern League assembly.
Northern League MEP Mario Borghezio said he had asked the European Commission to evaluate whether the advert constituted a violation of competition law.
Ryanair's shares plummeted 26% on the Dublin stock exchange Monday after profits fell 85% in the first trimester of 2008 due to high fuel prices.
The airline's profits for the three-month period stood at 21 million, down from 138.9 million for the same period in 2007, despite a 12% boost in sales.
On Monday Ryanair announced it was slashing ticket prices by an average of 5% in an effort to get the airline back on track.
It currently risks finishing the year in the red for the first time since it entered the stock exchange in 1997.
