ROME, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - The Italian competition authority said on Monday it had imposed a 54,100-euro (85,000-dollar) fine on Irish low-cost airline Rynair for false fare advertising.The authority cited an April 2007 advertisement on the Ryanair website offering flights starting at 10 euros, one way, taxes included to several foreign destinations.

The anti-trust body said it had determined that the 10 euros did not include costs of 2.50 euros associated with payment by credit card.

Ryanair maintained that the cost was not obligatory since holders of a certain category of card, namely Visa Electron, paid no such transaction costs. It said 14 percent of its passengers paid with Visa Electron.

Earlier this year Ryanair was ordered to pay 60,000 euros (94,000 dollars) to the wife of French President Nicholas Sarkozy for having used a photograph of the couple in one of its advertisements.

Earlier on Monday, the carrier earlier announced that its net profit had dived 85 percent during its first quarter compared with the figure a year earlier as the cost of fuel rocketed.