Budget airline Ryanair has been ordered to compensate thousands of passengers who lost out financially after it cancelled hundreds of flights due to staff strikes.
The industrial action saw disruption across European airports, with some customers forced to cut short holidays or pay for alternative flights to return home – without any reimbursement.
The walk-outs began in Spain, Portugal Belgium and Italy over pay and work conditions.
At the time, the Irish airline said the stoppage called by five unions had forced it to cancel 600 flights across Europe on July 25 and 26, affecting 100,000 passengers.
The High Court this week said people whose flights were disrupted over the period in 2018 should be compensated.
Until now, the airline had refused to remunerate passengers on grounds that "extraordinary circumstances" applied.
However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) took legal action over Ryanair's refusal to pay passengers who had been left out of pocket.
It argued that passengers were entitled to compensation under EU law.
According to the CAA, under EU legislation, passengers were allowed to make an EU261 claim for flights delayed by three hours or more, cancelled flights or when they were denied boarding.
On Thursday, the High Court agreed with the CAA's interpretation.
Paul Smith, CAA director, said: “Ryanair has refused to pay compensation to passengers affected by industrial action taken by its pilots in 2018. We believed that these passengers were in fact protected by law and that Ryanair could not claim its delayed and cancelled flights were ‘extraordinary circumstances.
“The High Court has today agreed with our interpretation of the law.
“We are committed to protecting the rights of air passengers and are determined to ensure all airlines comply with their legal obligations.”
The CAA advised that affected customers should wait for further information before pursuing their claims as Ryanair has the right to appeal the decision.
A recent survey by consumer group Which? found Ryanair to be one of the worst rated airlines for refunds with a customer satisfaction score of just 13%.
One-third of respondents who had a flight cancelled by the Irish carrier said they had waited more than three months for their money back.
The airline has warned it is facing "the most challenging year" in its 35-year history as a result of travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But it said it expects demand to rocket once all high risk groups have been vaccinated.
