A woman has accused Ryanair of showing “little interest” after they lost her paralysed nephew’s wheelchair. 

Earlier this week, Áine’s nephew Cian and her sister flew from Dublin to Lisbon to see her. 

On Lunchtime Live, she explained why travelling is complex process for her family. 

“Cian is not able bodied, he’s fully dependent on a wheelchair,” she said. 

“A normal process to get Cian on a flight to go anywhere is, he’s transported onto the plane, they transfer him onto an apparatus to then do a lift on, lift off to his aircraft seat. 

“At that point, he hands over his wheelchair to the support services with Ryanair to make sure that his wheelchair doesn’t go into the hold with normal luggage, it goes in with more fragile luggage to arrive and be at his destination when he’s lifted off at his arrival airport.” 

Cian Cleary. Image: Supplied.

After Cian and his mother arrived in Portugal, the family were told that his wheelchair was not there. 

“The Ryanair staff in Lisbon had very little interest and made the complaint that it was their colleagues in Dublin,” Áine said. 

“They had no phone number to contact their colleagues in Dublin; they could only [contact] their colleagues via email. 

“After three-hours at Lisbon Airport, my sister eventually got a transport wheelchair which is a wheelchair not for Cian’s needs - because he’s got a very high injury, from chest level. 

“They get him in that wheelchair to get him to that accommodation; we spent all day yesterday trying to contact Ryanair. 

“We spent all day yesterday on chatbots, on the main number we were on hold for an hour and 20 minutes.” 

A Ryanair plane. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images.

Áine said in the end, the family “just gave up” and that Cian has been “very upset” ever since. 

Eventually, a woman who works in lost and found at Dublin Airport rang to tell them the wheelchair had been flown to Leeds-Bradford and has since been sent back to Dublin. 

“Nobody has contacted us from Ryanair to give us this story,” Áine said. 

“We are still trying to contact Ryanair Dublin.” 

She added that seeing her nephew lying in bed, waiting for the return of his wheelchair “breaks my heart”.

“Being in another wheelchair has consequences for his skin and his general well being,” she said. 

Áine said it is imperative that the wheelchair is sent to Lisbon as soon as possible. 

“We need someone to take action, get the wheelchair on the next flight to Lisbon so at least he has it,” she said. 

“Apologies and whatever can come afterwards; right now, he needs his wheelchair.” 

Ryanair response

Ryanair confirmed in a statement that ground handlers had failed to deliver the wheelchair to the aircraft.

“We apologise sincerely for this service failure in Dublin Airport," a spokesperson said.

"Once Ryanair was made aware of the error, Ryanair contacted this passenger’s mother informing her that the wheelchair would be flown to Lisbon Airport on the next available flight, confirming the time of arrival and the address the wheelchair would be couriered to.

"Ryanair apologises to Mr Cleary and we have spoken to the ground handlers at Dublin Airport to ensure that it does not recur.”

Main image: Cian Cleary (L) with his parents. Image: Supplied.