Ryanair, Europe’s biggest budget airline, may also be Europe’s most stubborn when it comes to paying out compensation for canceled flights under EU airline rules, specifically EU261.
The airline, which is headquartered in Ireland was sued in British courts by the Civil Aviation Authority in 2018 when it grounded thousands of flights because of a strike called by its pilots. The airline refused to pay compensation of £220 to £350, claiming that the strike fell under an “extraordinary circumstances” clause.
Ryanair cited previous European rulings that excused an airline whose operations had been halted by a series of wildcat strikes. Both the original court ruling in April and a new one now by the Appeal Court dismissed that argument on grounds that a wildcat strike might be an unforeseen circumstance but that did not apply to a strike voted by workers and carried out with advance notice.
Paul Smith, CAA Director, advised caution to those waiting for payouts, warning that “Ryanair may seek to appeal this judgement to the Supreme Court. Affected customers should therefore await further information before pursuing their claims.” He also called for new rules to strengthen airline passenger rights now that the UK has left the EU. EU rules remain in force until replaced or modified by new legislation.
