Dutch Court orders Ryanair to compensate passengers for cancelled flight

On 18 July 2025, the District Court of Rotterdam ruled in favour of a group of passengers and their legal representative in a case against Irish low-cost airline Ryanair over a cancelled flight from Weeze (Germany) to Girona (Spain) on 13 October 2023. The airline has been ordered to pay over €3,000 in compensation and damages, plus legal costs.

The passengers, including four minors represented by their guardians, brought the case after Ryanair failed to operate the booked flight and did not provide a replacement, as required under EU Regulation 261/2004. The court rejected Ryanair’s defence that the cancellation was due to “extraordinary circumstances” stemming from a French air traffic control strike. The judge found that the cancellation was primarily an operational decision by Ryanair to prioritise next-day flights from its home base in Weeze, and not a direct result of air traffic restrictions.

As a result, the court awarded:

• €1,500 in flight compensation (€250 per person),
• €245.80 in outstanding ticket refunds,
• €1,319.73 for consequential damages, including a non-refundable hotel booking, car rental cancellation fees, and fuel and parking costs.

Ryanair’s argument that it had excluded liability for such losses in its general terms was dismissed. The court ruled that such clauses are unreasonably burdensome, especially when the airline chooses to cancel a flight for scheduling reasons.

The passengers were also awarded €1,528.30 in legal costs. The judgment is immediately enforceable.