Ryanair facing extra costs

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair will likely have to compensate passengers who weren't able to continue their flights due to a 2010 eruption of an Icelandic volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. The air traffic disruption was caused by fears that the volcanic ashes might damage jet engines.

Ryanair is fighting a 1,130-euro ($1,500) compensation claim for food and accommodation incurred by an Irish customer who had her flight back to Dublin cancelled and was only able to return a week later.

A lawyer for the EU Court of Justice, Advocate General Yves Bot, found on Thursday that the passenger's claim was justified. He pointed to EU regulations which forced airlines to look after their clients even when flight cancellations were due to extraordinary circumstances and beyond the control of carriers.

"There is no room for a separate category of particularly extraordinary events which would fully release the air carrier from its obligations," Bot said in a statement. But he added that apart from the costs for food and accommodation, airlines should be spared from having to pay passengers extra damages, if they were not directly responsible for flight cancellations or delays.

Lost the battle, but not the war?

A definitive ruling will only be available in a couple of months, though. Advocate generals only provide a preliminary, non-binding opinion on cases handled by the European Court of Justice. However, the Luxembourg-based body more often than not follows their advice in its final rulings.

Ryanair has frequently branded the European Union's new passenger rights rules as unfair. In April 2011, the Irish carrier introduced a two-euro surcharge on all its flights to cover compensation costs it had already been forced to pay.

Advocate General Yves Bot noted that the move could not be held against Ryanair as airlines were free to pass on costs resulting from the EU's regulations to their ticket prices.

hg/ai (dapd, dpa)