Ryanair boss apologises to Belgian Minister of Consumer Affairs

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary apologised to Kris Peeters on Thursday during a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Consumer Affairs, for the many flights cancelled this fall by the low-cost airline. Mr Peeters brought a legal action against Ryanair following those cancellations.

At the beginning of October, the Belgian Minister lodged an injunction with the Commercial Court, finding that Ryanair was guilty of lack of professionalism. The company communicated in English with its French-speaking and Dutch-speaking customers and provided too little information on passenger rights in the event of cancellation.

A meeting was held this Thursday between the Deputy Prime Minister and Michael O’Leary, at the request of the Irishman. During the interview, the boss of Ryanair apologised for the turn of events, promising that it would not happen anymore. “I have made it clear that when legislation is not respected, it has consequences in Belgium. Ryanair will provide my administration with detailed information; we will examine this information thoroughly and verify that all customers have been correctly compensated. We will also monitor whether Ryanair has taken the necessary steps to avoid further massive cancellations in the future,” said Kris Peeters.

It is too early to say whether the action against the Irish company will be withdrawn. “Ryanair has promised detailed information, we will examine it and on the basis of that, we will make a decision,” the minister concluded.