A cost breakdown of Ryanair's claim against an allegedly disruptive passenger has been released by the airline.
It has been alleged the passenger's behaviour forced a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote on April 9, 2024, to be diverted to Porto, where the passenger was offloaded and arrested.
This meant that the other 160 passengers had to stay overnight in the Portuguese city.
Check In Desks at Ryanair in Dublin Airport Terminal 1. Photo: Collins Photos. 19.07.2024.This morning, the airline revealed the breakdown of the €15,000 in costs and fees it claims to have incurred as a result.
Newstalk’s Business Editor Joe Lynam said the Portuguese legal fees are still rising for the airline.
“€7,000 to put up the crew and passengers in Porto overnight, handling fees of €2,500, a loss of inflight sales, replacement crew costs of €1,800," he said.
"The Portuguese legal fees, which they say is 'to date' – i.e, they’re still mounting – at €2,500, and they reckon that the cost to the airline is €15,350.”
Ryanair's breakdown of the cost of damages caused by the disruptive passenger on a Dublin - Lanzarote flight on 10th Apr 2024. Image: Ryanair. 13/1/2025.A Ryanair spokesperson said the airline felt it necessary to take the issue to court due to inaction by EU authorities.
“European governments repeatedly fail to take action when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert,” they said in a statement.
“In this case, the Portuguese Prosecution ruled that because the aircraft and the passenger are Irish, this case should be transferred to Ireland.
“It is time that EU authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports.
“Airlines, like Ryanair, already restrict and limit the sale of alcohol on board our aircraft, particularly in disruptive passenger cases.
“However, during flight delays, passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption.”
The airline has previously suggested that passengers be limited to two drinks while in the airport, using boarding passes to limit sales similar to the duty-free system.
Main image: Split image showing a Ryanair plane (L) and euro notes (R).
