Ryanair told to make compensation payments by CAA

Budget airline Ryanair has been told by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to make compensation payments to passengers who have experienced flight delays.

It comes after a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that passengers are still entitled to compensation after delays caused by unexpected technical problems, which Ryanair disputed.

Under the EU261 regulations, passengers whose flights arrive three or more hours late are entitled to a lump sum between €250 (£185) and €600 (£445) in compensation.

However, the CAA said Ryanair was failing to make some payments.

Andrew Haines, CAA chief executive, said: “We will do everything in our power to ensure that passengers are receiving the support they are legally entitled to, during and after disruption.”

He added: “The law is clear that compensation must be paid if a flight is delayed for more than three hours by a routine technical fault.

“It is also clear that air passengers have up to six years to issue a compensation claim at court.”

Ryanair has responded by asking for an urgent meeting with bosses of the the UK’s specialist aviation regulator to “clarify any misunderstandings that may have arisen in dealing with some historic cases”.

Last month, Ryanair was defeated in a separate UK court ruling that said it could not impose an arbitrary two-year time limit on passengers’ claims for compensation.

Kevin Clarke, flight delay lawyer with solicitors Bott & Co, told The Guardian: “We brought clarity to the law when we won the case of Huzar v Jet2. Technical issues are not extraordinary; they are claimable.

“The fact that the same issue has had to go to the European Court of Justice despite the Supreme Court ruling shows the lengths the airline industry will go to to avoid paying out on valid claims.

“Fortunately the courts have once again ruled in favour of consumers – we’re delighted with this outcome.”

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “Ryanair notes today’s decision in the KLM case and will continue to comply with the EU261 legislation.

“Since less than half of 1 per cent of Ryanair flights are delayed by over three hours, this ruling will have less effect on Ryanair than any other airline.”