Airline claims that it couldn’t use machines during cold snap at Stansted Airport
Ryanair and other airlines using Stansted Airport outside London were hit by freezing weather and snow at the time, causing chaos for thousands of passengers. Temperatures plunged to as low as minus-12C.
The airline is suing Fortbrand UK for €373,000 (€444,000), which includes £150,000 the airline says it had to refund passengers and a further £71,000 it had to pay under EU passenger compensation rules.
Ryanair also claims that alleged failures by Fortbrand saw the carrier incur £79,000 for providing care and assistance to affected passengers and nearly £17,000 for the cost of repair work and inspections of the de-icing rigs.
Fortbrand has denied the claims and has countersued the airline for £82,000 for allegedly failing to pay sums due to the company.
Ryanair is claiming a breach of the express and, or implied terms of oral contract.
“As a result, the rigs experienced significant technical issues, thereby preventing the claimant from operating each of them during a period of adverse weather at Stansted Airport on December 2, 2023,” the airline’s claim form states.
Fortbrand has rejected Ryanair’s claim.
“Ryanair’s claim discloses no properly articulated cause of action and is therefore liable to be struck out,” it insisted in a defence document. “There is no properly pleaded allegation of breach by Fortbrand nor any properly pleaded allegation that anything done or not done by Fortbrand caused Ryanair’s alleged loss.
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“On the contrary,” the company has claimed, “it is clear that, if and insofar as Ryanair suffered the losses claimed, those losses resulted from Ryanair’s failure to ensure that it had daily onsite maintenance and breakdown support for the rigs, which service it is common ground that Fortbrand was never contracted to provide.”
Fortbrand claims that during discussions in April 2023, “Fortbrand informed Ryanair that it could provide planned maintenance and onsite support at Stansted for breakdown and general maintenance”.
“However,” it adds in its statement of defence, “Ryanair never took up that proposal and Fortbrand was never contracted to provide ongoing maintenance or breakdown support.”
Last year, the Irish Independent revealed that Ryanair was suing the UK’s air traffic control operator NATS for €6m over a computer meltdown in 2023 that caused flight chaos.
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