Ryanair has been targeted by fraudsters who took out almost $5m (£3.25m) from its accounts through a Chinese bank.
The low-cost airline asked the Criminal Assets Bureau in Dublin to help recover the money, which was withdrawn through electronic transfer.
Ryanair uses dollars to buy fuel and the money could have been siphoned off during one of these transactions, the Irish Times reported.
Ryanair confirmed it had “investigated a fraudulent electronic transfer via a Chinese bank last week.
“The airline has been working with its banks and the relevant authorities and understands that the funds – less than $5m – have now been frozen. The airline expects these funds to be repaid shortly, and has taken steps to ensure that this type of transfer cannot recur.”
Ryanair has been trying to reverse its reputation for shoddy treatment of customers and earlier this month reported a 28% increase in passenger numbers in March. The rise was attributed to the decision by outspoken boss Michael O’Leary to stop “unnecessarily pissing people off”.
The airline has denied reports that it is considering moving into longhaul flights but has been making changes to its schedules to attract more business customers.