Alitalia fined for illegal bonuses

The Italian national airline, Alitalia, has been fined almost $23m by the country's competition authority for abusing its dominant market position.

The authority said Alitalia had contravened market regulations, by offering bonuses to travel agencies between 1997 and 2000 to boost the sale of tickets.

The bonuses were fixed in advance based on target sales and not on actual ticket sales.

Alitalia says it will appeal against the fine.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service