Ryanair depicts Spanish minister as clown in ad campaign

LONDON

A row between Ryanair and Spain's leftist government has flared up with the budget airline launching a new ad campaign depicting Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy as a clown.

Bustinduy's consumer rights ministry in November slapped five low-cost airlines, including Ryanair, with a combined fine of 179 million euros ($185 million) for "abusive practices" such as charging passengers for hand luggage or printing boarding passes at terminals when they did not have them.

Irish no-frills carrier Ryanair's share of the fine was the largest at 107.8 million euros.

"Ryanair demands that the minister cancels his illegal fines," the company wrote in a press release accompanied by a photo of Ryanair's outspoken group CEO Michael O'Leary posing next to a life-size photo of Bustinduy sporting a red nose and a multicoloured wig.

The same image of the minister appears on on Rynanair's social networks as part of a promotional campaign encouraging customers to "book at a crazy price [before a clown raises prices]".

O'Leary has lashed out at Bustinduy before, referring to him as "a crazy communist minister" who fined airlines that "have no choice but to restrict carry-on bags" at a new conference in Brussels last month.

Bustinduy told reporters his ministry had applied the law "rigorously" based on a 2014 ruling from the European Court of Justice.

"My obligation is to defend the rights of Spanish consumers. That is what I have done and that is what I will continue to do," he said, adding "no pressure campaign or insult" would make him back down.