Welcomes OFT Proposal

Ryanair Holdings PLC
25 May 2006



                         RYANAIR WELCOMES OFT PROPOSAL

                        TO LOOK AT BAA MONOPOLY AIRPORTS

Ryanair, Britain's favourite airline this morning (Thursday, 25th May 2006)
welcomed the OFT statement that it may look into the UK airports market with a
view to establishing whether the current structure works well for consumers.
Ryanair, as the airline which carries most consumers to/from the UK would
strongly support an OFT investigation into the BAA airport monopoly. Ryanair and
other airlines have long called for the break up of this inefficient
gold-plating, over-charging monopoly. The fact that the BAA's recent defence
document offered to pay £750m to its shareholders if the Ferrovial bid is
rejected demonstrates what a cash cow this monopoly has become.

Speaking today on the OFT's statement, Ryanair's Chief Executive, Michael
O'Leary said:

    'We would strongly welcome an investigation by the OFT of the BAA airport
    monopoly. When a Government protected monopoly like the BAA can spend £4bn
    building facilities at Stansted which should only cost £1bn, something is
    wrong. When as part of this process the BAA at Stansted can spend £25m on
    consultants' reports without producing even one page of a report, something
    is very wrong. When the BAA monopoly offers a sweetener of £750m to its
    shareholders to reject Ferrovial's bid, it clearly proves that this monopoly
    has been overcharging passengers and feathering its own nest.

    'The only way to improve the lot of passengers is to break up the BAA
    monopoly airports and force them to compete against each other. Then airline
    customers would not be forced to endure the black hole of Calcutta that is
    Heathrow, or the unnecessary over priced Taj Mahal palace being planned at
    Stansted.

    'Competition works in favour of consumers, monopolies just rip them off, and
    the BAA airport monopoly is living proof of this'.

Ends.                          Thursday, 25th May 2006

For reference:

Peter Sherrard - Ryanair       Pauline McAlester - Murray Consultants

Tel: [phone]            Tel: [phone]



                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange