The competition watchdog has closed its investigation into Ryanair and British Airways over whether the airlines broke consumer law by failing to offer refunds for flights customers were unable to take during lockdown.
The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) said it has concluded that the law “does not provide passengers with a sufficiently clear right to a refund in these unusual circumstances to justify continuing with the case”.
It added that it believes prolonging the probe could “not be justified” given the length of time and expense it would take to reach an outcome.
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “We strongly believe people who are legally prevented from taking flights due to lockdown laws should be offered a full refund and we launched this investigation in the hope that we would be able to secure a positive outcome for consumers.
“However, after considering the relevant law and gathering evidence in our investigation, we have concluded that the length of time that would be required to take this case through the courts, and the uncertain outcome, can no longer justify the further expense of public money.
“Given the importance of this to many passengers who have unfairly lost out, we hope that the law in this area will be clarified.”
A spokeswoman for Ryanair said: “Ryanair welcomes the CMA’s decision to close its investigation.
“We operated a limited schedule during UK lockdowns for customers who travelled for essential reasons.
“Passengers had the option to change their bookings without paying the flight change fee and many availed of this option.”
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