Photo: Ryanair
Ryanair remains the most popular low-budget flight operator in Europe, despite a series of recent changes to its in-flight fee policy. It also remains one of the airline companies with the largest number of reported problems, some of them verging on the unbelievable.
Chalk this one up here, too: late last week, just as it was about to take off from the Bordeaux Airport in France, destination London’s Stansted Airport, UK, one Ryanair plane was impounded by the French authorities.
To add insult to injury, none of the 149 passengers was informed of what was happening, The Independent reports. They eventually found out the cause of the delay when they got back home, after 5 hours of lingering around the airport, waiting for someone from Ryanair to come and talk to them.
According to the publication, the Boeing 737 had flown to Bordeaux that afternoon from London, and was scheduled for the flight back at 6 p.m. Passengers had passed passport control and boarding, and were on the tarmac on their way to the plane when they were ordered back inside the terminal.
They were approached by the French police, informing them that there was an unspecified “issue” with the plane. That issue turned out to be an outstanding debt of over 500,000 euros that Ryanair had failed to pay – and was refusing to, according to several media outlets.
“The dispute centers on payments made to Ryanair during its short-lived use of Angoulême airport in southwest France a decade ago. The European Commission ruled the subsidies constituted illegal state aid and should be repaid,” The Independent says.
French authorities notified the company in May of the debt, but they turned a deaf ear and a blind eye. According to the authorities, impounding the plane was the last resort they had to force the company to come up with the money.
When the passengers left for London 5 hours later, on a different flight from the company, the Boeing was still in the custody of the French authorities. Ryanair has refused to discuss the matter publicly with the media or the passengers, but they did give the latter a 5 euro voucher for a meal and drink, to make up for the delay. As it happens, you can’t buy half a sandwich with this money in any European airport, let alone a full meal.
The Independent notes that each of the passengers is entitled a 250 euro compensation from Ryanair for the delay.
To add insult to injury, none of the 149 passengers was informed of what was happening, The Independent reports. They eventually found out the cause of the delay when they got back home, after 5 hours of lingering around the airport, waiting for someone from Ryanair to come and talk to them.
According to the publication, the Boeing 737 had flown to Bordeaux that afternoon from London, and was scheduled for the flight back at 6 p.m. Passengers had passed passport control and boarding, and were on the tarmac on their way to the plane when they were ordered back inside the terminal.
They were approached by the French police, informing them that there was an unspecified “issue” with the plane. That issue turned out to be an outstanding debt of over 500,000 euros that Ryanair had failed to pay – and was refusing to, according to several media outlets.
“The dispute centers on payments made to Ryanair during its short-lived use of Angoulême airport in southwest France a decade ago. The European Commission ruled the subsidies constituted illegal state aid and should be repaid,” The Independent says.
French authorities notified the company in May of the debt, but they turned a deaf ear and a blind eye. According to the authorities, impounding the plane was the last resort they had to force the company to come up with the money.
When the passengers left for London 5 hours later, on a different flight from the company, the Boeing was still in the custody of the French authorities. Ryanair has refused to discuss the matter publicly with the media or the passengers, but they did give the latter a 5 euro voucher for a meal and drink, to make up for the delay. As it happens, you can’t buy half a sandwich with this money in any European airport, let alone a full meal.
The Independent notes that each of the passengers is entitled a 250 euro compensation from Ryanair for the delay.
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