Ryanair UK threatens CAA with legal action after ‘unnecessary’ flight delay

Ryanair UK has said it will be taking legal action against the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), accusing the regulator of making an “unlawful and arbitrary” decision by “unnecessarily” forcing it to delay a flight overnight from Agadir to Manchester.

The airline said the CAA denied its request to allow another Ryanair Group airline to operate a rescue flight on April 24, meaning 177 passengers had their travel plans disrupted.

It came after a Ryanair UK aircraft was forced to divert to Faro because of a disruptive passenger.

A Ryanair UK spokesperson said: “After several years of Ryanair Group airlines assisting each other with rescue flights on identical aircraft, which prevents delays and cancellations in unforeseen circumstances, the CAA has inexplicably refused to allow a Ryanair Group airline to operate a rescue flight for another Ryanair Group airline, disrupting 177 passengers.”

A CAA spokesperson said Ryanair was “well aware” of the regulator’s position on resilience plans.

“Ryanair UK has chosen to operate a flight schedule that requires 18 aircraft, but has only allocated 15 aircraft to its UK-registered business to fulfil this schedule,” the spokesperson said.

“Ryanair has prioritised the placement of aircraft within their other EU-based business over the UK, leaving UK passengers at a higher risk of disruption.”

Ryanair UK said there was a “spare” Ryanair DAC aircraft and crew available to operate a rescue service for passengers booked on flight RK1265.

However, the airline accused the “incompetent” CAA of unjustly blocking the request.

“This unlawful and arbitrary refusal by CAA bureaucrats means that Ryanair UK will now be forced to take legal action to compel the CAA to comply with the law, remove this arbitrary restriction on the use of leased aircraft in unforeseen circumstances and stop discommoding Ryanair UK passengers,” an airline spokesperson said.

They added: “We call on the prime minister to intervene and demand that the CAA regulator removes these bureaucratic roadblocks it has so unnecessarily created for Ryanair UK and its passengers at a time when the
UK economy urgently needs less CAA red tape and more connectivity and growth.”

The CAA spokesperson said: “The UK CAA plays a key role protecting passengers as well as enabling growth in the UK aviation sector.

“We encourage UK operators to create strong resilience plans for when planes have to be grounded to minimise the impact on passengers.

“These plans need to be consistent with the legal framework that applies to UK aviation following the EU Exit, which requires UK-based companies to have sufficient UK-registered aircraft to operate their schedule. 

“Ryanair has been well aware of this position for a considerable period of time.

“Ryanair UK has chosen to operate a flight schedule that requires 18 aircraft, but has only allocated 15 aircraft to its UK-registered business to fulfil this schedule. 

“Ryanair has prioritised the placement of aircraft within their other EU-based business over the UK, leaving UK passengers at a higher risk of disruption.”