Austria impounds Ryanair plane for failing to pay €890 compensation to a passenger
The court may sell the Boeing 737 at a public auction if the debt is not paid before the deadline.
Austrian authorities impounded a Ryanair plane for failing to pay compensation to a passenger, the airport where the incident occurred on March 9 confirmed to EFE. The airline had refused to pay a traveler €890 in legal fees and compensation for a flight to Mallorca that was delayed two years ago. The dispute began in 2014 when a flight from Linz, Austria, to Palma was delayed by 13 hours. One of the passengers on the affected flight was forced to pay for an alternative flight and, at the same time, claimed reimbursement of her expenses and compensation, as stipulated by aviation regulations. However, Ryanair only refunded the original ticket and not the €250 compensation for such cases or the compensation due for this type of delay, nor did it pay the additional €105 for the alternative ticket the passenger had to purchase.
Faced with this situation, the traveler took the case to court, which ordered the airline to pay the claimed sum plus interest and legal costs. But the airline ignored the court order. As a result, the Linz Regional Court ordered the precautionary seizure of a Ryanair Boeing 737.
Linz Airport's head of communications, Ingo Hagedorn, explained that they "accompanied the bailiff to the aircraft, where he carried out his official duties." The bailiff initially tried to collect the sum from the pilot, but the crew did not have the cash on hand. At that point, the bailiff affixed a legal seizure notice sticker to the aircraft. Subsequently, the plane was allowed to take off for London, although it technically remains under court control until the debt is paid. Ryanair still has the option to pay the €890 it owes – €355 in compensation, plus interest and legal fees. However, if the debt is not paid by the deadline, the court could sell the Boeing 737 at public auction.