Ryanair agrees to pay compensation for passengers affected by pilot strikes in 2018

The Civil Aviation Authority has urged passengers affected by Ryanair pilot strikes in 2018 to claim compensation from the low cost Irish airline after a Supreme Court challenge was reportedly withdrawn

Ryanair passengers caught up in delays caused by strikes in 2018 could finally be in line for compensation.

The budget airline has agreed to pay customers who were delayed or who suffered cancellations during pilot strikes.

Such passengers have been encouraged to claim compensation by the UK’s air travel regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It follows the withdrawal of a Supreme Court legal challenge by Ryanair which ended the dispute over compensation rights, after the airline had challenged a Court of Appeal ruling that strike action was not an “extraordinary circumstance” and compensation was owed.

Depending on the nature of the cancelled journey, passengers could be owed up to £515.

Paul Smith, consumer director at the UK CAA, said: “Ryanair’s decision to discontinue the Supreme Court appeal of the Court of Appeal judgment means that affected passengers will now be able to make a claim for compensation from Ryanair if they were impacted by strike action taken by Ryanair pilots in 2018 and we would encourage all passengers on flights that were affected to claim the compensation they are entitled to.”

Almost 400 Ryanair flights scheduled at the beginning of August 2018 were grounded because of pilot strikes, it was reported at the time.

The Irish airline said 396 flights were cancelled, which may have affected more than 74,000 passengers.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: ““The UK Civil Aviation Authority and Ryanair reached a settlement on 30 November 2022 to end a legal dispute concerning passenger rights arising from flight cancellations caused by union-led strikes in the summer of 2018.

“The resolution reached between Ryanair and the CAA is consistent with a recent ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU on union led strikes, ensuring a uniform level of passenger rights across the EU and the UK.”