Ryanair delay and cancellation compensation
Checked 12 min read · 6 tables
Ryanair delay compensation is £220 to £520 per passenger under UK261 from UK airports, and €250 to €600 under EU261 from EU airports, once you arrive three hours or more late. Five licensed companies fly for the group. The one operating your flight decides the arrival rules, and a rejected claim can go to AviationADR before court.
Ryanair delay compensation is 
UK airports, and 
EU airports, once you arrive three hours or more late. Five licensed companies fly for the group. The one operating your flight decides the arrival rules, and a rejected claim can go to 
AviationADR before court.
- UK261 ££220–£520per passenger, 3 h or more late at arrival
- EU261 €€250–€600per passenger, 3 h or more late at arrival
- Payout time4 daysmedian from passenger reports, n = 3
- Claim service
No win, no feeHand the claim over →
Key facts: Ryanair
Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
Operating companies and licences | Ryanair UK Limited: UK air carrier; Ryanair DAC (Ireland), Malta Air Limited and Lauda Europe Limited (Malta), Ryanair Sun S.A. (Buzz) (Poland): Community carriers |
Ryanair delay compensation | £220-£520 under UK261; €250-€600 under EU261 |
ADR scheme | AviationADR (brands listed: Ryanair, Malta Air, Lauda, Buzz) |
Claim form | |
Enforcement bodies | CAA (UK airports); IAA (Irish airports) |
Time limit to sue | Polish departures 1 year (Kodeks cywilny art. 778); 6 years England and Wales, NI, Ireland; Scotland 5, untested; Malta unsettled |
Ireland), 
Lauda Europe Limited (
Malta), 
Ryanair Sun S.A. (Buzz) (
Poland): Community carriers
CAA (
IAA (
England and 
Wales, NI, 
Scotland 5, untested; Source: UK261 arts. 3(1), 7(1) — legislation.gov.uk; EU261 arts. 3(1), 7(1) — eur-lex.europa.eu; CAA licence and ADR lists — caa.co.uk; EC licence list — transport.ec.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.
#How much does Ryanair pay under UK261 for a delay of 3 hours or more?
£220, £350 or £520 per passenger is what Ryanair owes under UK261 when your flight reaches its final destination three hours or more late, banded by the distance to that destination. The same amounts apply to a cancellation with less than 14 days' notice, unless Ryanair offered a qualifying replacement or proves extraordinary circumstances.
Distance to final destination | UK261 £ |
|---|---|
Up to 1,500 km | £220 |
1,500-3,500 km | £350 |
Over 3,500 km | £520, or £260 for a delay arriving between three and four hours late |
Source: UK261 art. 7(1)-(2) (as substituted by SI 2019/278), art. 6(3)-(4) (inserted by SI 2023/1370), art. 2(n), art. 5(1)(c) — legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Delays — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
The amount is per passenger and ignores the fare. A family of four on a 1,200 km route that arrives 3 hours 10 minutes late is owed £880. Arrival means the time passengers are permitted to leave the aircraft, not touchdown: 2 hours 59 minutes late earns nothing, and from 3 hours 0 minutes compensation is due.
For a delay, routes up to 3,500 km have no reduced step. Beyond 3,500 km the CAA gives £260 for arriving between three and four hours late, and article 7(2) says the airline “may” reduce, so the cut is Ryanair’s option.
Whatever forums call the “40 minute rule”, UK261 contains no such threshold. Check your band in the compensation calculator, then read the UK261 hub and the UK261 delay compensation guide.
#Which Ryanair company operated your flight, and which law covers it?
5 licensed companies sit inside the Ryanair group: Ryanair DAC, Ryanair UK Limited, Malta Air Limited, Lauda Europe Limited and Ryanair Sun S.A. (Buzz). Departures are covered whichever one flew, UK261 from UK airports and EU261 from EU airports. Arrivals into the UK or the EU depend on the licence of the company operating your flight.
Ryanair group companies and their licences
Operating company | Licence status | EU261 € | UK261 £ | Licence source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ryanair DAC | Community carrier (Ireland) | Yes | Yes | |
Ryanair UK Limited | UK air carrier | No (UK261 applies instead) | Yes | |
Malta Air Limited | Community carrier (Malta) | Yes | Yes | |
Lauda Europe Limited | Community carrier (Malta) | Yes | Yes | |
Ryanair Sun S.A. (Buzz) | Community carrier (Poland) | Yes | Yes |
Only a Ryanair UK Limited flight loses EU261 cover on arrival in the EU.
Source: EU261 art. 2(c), art. 3(1)(a)-(b) — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 art. 2(c), 2(m), art. 3(1)(a)-(b) — legislation.gov.uk; EC licence list (data as at 19 May 2026) — transport.ec.europa.eu; licence holders — caa.co.uk, iaa.ie, checked 2026-09-15.
Which rules apply to your Ryanair flight
Your route | Operated by Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Lauda Europe or Buzz | Operated by Ryanair UK Limited |
|---|---|---|
UK to outside the EU | UK261 (£) | UK261 (£) |
UK to the EU | UK261 (£); EU261 (€) on arrival | UK261 (£) |
EU to the UK | EU261 (€); UK261 (£) on arrival | EU261 (€); UK261 (£) on arrival |
EU to the EU | EU261 (€) | EU261 (€); UK261 (£) on arrival |
EU to outside the UK and EU | EU261 (€) | EU261 (€) |
Outside the UK and EU to the UK | UK261 (£) on arrival | UK261 (£) on arrival |
Outside the UK and EU to the EU | EU261 (€) on arrival | UK261 (£) on arrival |
An “on arrival” entry falls away if you already received benefits or compensation and were given assistance in the country you flew from. UK261’s arrival rule for Ryanair UK Limited reaches EU member-state airports only, not Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. No licence list ties routes to companies: check the operating carrier on your booking.
Norway, 
Iceland or 
Switzerland. No licence list ties routes to companies: check the operating carrier on your booking.Not your situation? Canadian routes fall under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, and lost bags under the Montreal Convention. Flying in the US? US federal rules differ, see US DOT rules. Unsure which law fits? Work it out here.
Canadian routes fall under the 
US? #Which rules apply to Ryanair flights from Ireland?
€250, €400 or €600 per passenger is the EU261 scale on every Ryanair flight departing an Irish airport, whichever group company operated it. The Irish Aviation Authority enforces EU261 for those departures and for flights arriving in Ireland from outside the EU, and Irish law allows 6 years to sue.
Distance | EU261 € |
|---|---|
Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
Within the EU, over 1,500 km | €400 |
Other flights, 1,500-3,500 km | €400 |
Other flights, over 3,500 km | €600; the airline may pay €300 if the arrival delay is three hours or more but less than four |
Within the EU, a delayed flight over 1,500 km stays at €400.
Source: EU261 art. 3(1), art. 7(1)-(2), art. 16 — eur-lex.europa.eu; IAA, Air passenger rights — iaa.ie; Commission NEB list — transport.ec.europa.eu; Statute of Limitations 1957 s.11 — revisedacts.lawreform.ie; Small Claims — courts.ie, checked 2026-09-15.
A Dublin to Stansted flight shows how the rules stack. EU261 applies on departure, in euros. UK261 can apply on arrival, in pounds, unless you already received benefits or compensation and assistance in Ireland.
StanstedThe IAA took over this role from the Commission for Aviation Regulation on 1 May 2023. It takes complaints through its MySRS portal and sends passengers to the enforcement body of the departure country: a flight from Dublin belongs with the IAA, a flight from Madrid with Spain’s AESA.
Spain’s AESA.AviationADR’s members page gives Ryanair-group complaints a UK, Spanish, Swedish and Danish scope, not an Irish one, so a flight from Ireland to France leaves the IAA and the courts. The District Court’s Small Claims procedure takes claims of €2,000 or less: four passengers at €400 each fit.
France leaves the Note the departure airport on your booking, then read the Ireland compensation guide.
#How do you claim compensation from Ryanair directly?
On 14 September 2026 Ryanair’s help page said: “Expense and compensation requests are submitted and reviewed separately.” So the hotel receipt and the fixed £220 go in as two requests, each carrying the flight number and date, the delay or the cancellation notice, and the amount.
Source: UK261 and EU261 arts. 6(1), 8(1), 9 — legislation.gov.uk, eur-lex.europa.eu; Ryanair help centre — help.ryanair.com, checked 2026-09-14.
Send them through Ryanair’s own claim form, on the Claims page of ryanair.com, and note the operating company shown on your booking; the help centre explains applying for compensation. Screenshot both requests and any claim reference.
Care is a separate right. On a flight of 1,500 km or less, a 2-hour departure delay brings meals, two free calls or emails, and a hotel if you wait until the next day. The threshold rises to 3 hours for 1,500-3,500 km and 4 hours beyond. EU261 flights within the EU use 3 hours above 1,500 km. From 5 hours, you can choose a Ryanair refund of the ticket, paid within 7 days.
Reimbursement and re-routing are alternatives under article 8. Choose one in writing before you book anything yourself; compensation stays separate from both.
Set a reminder for 8 weeks after you submit the form.
#Which Ryanair refusal reasons hold up?
2018 strikes by Ryanair’s own staff over pay and conditions did not count as extraordinary circumstances, the Court of Appeal held. A refusal letter cannot change that. Ryanair carries the burden under article 5(3) on both points: which cause, and what it did about it.
Source: UK261 art. 2(o), art. 5(3), art. 6(4) — legislation.gov.uk; The Civil Aviation Authority v Ryanair DAC [2022] EWCA Civ 76 — caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
In The Civil Aviation Authority v Ryanair DAC [2022] EWCA Civ 76, the Court of Appeal held that cancellations caused by 2018 strikes of Ryanair’s own staff over pay and conditions were not extraordinary, even though unions were involved. In Jet2.com Ltd v Huzar [2014] EWCA Civ 791, the court held an unforeseeable wiring defect inherent in normal airline activity. Both bind lower courts in England and Wales.
Jet2.com Ltd v Huzar [2014] EWCA Civ 791, the court held an unforeseeable wiring defect inherent in normal airline activity. Both bind lower courts in Passengers on forums quote two Ryanair refusal phrases. “ATC restrictions” points at the air traffic management limb, but Ryanair must still show which decision delayed your flight and that reasonable measures could not avoid it. “Crew reaching their maximum daily flying hours” names a consequence, not a cause: ask what used up those hours.
A valid refusal removes only the fixed compensation. In McDonagh (C-12/11, 2013), the CJEU held that extraordinary circumstances do not release an airline from its duty of care, and that pre-2021 ruling binds UK courts.
Ask Ryanair in writing for the cause and the measures it took. The extraordinary circumstances guide tests each reason.
#How does AviationADR handle a Ryanair complaint?
8 weeks without a reply, or a final refusal, lets you take a Ryanair complaint to AviationADR, the scheme the CAA lists for Ryanair, Malta Air, Lauda and Buzz. File within 12 months of Ryanair’s final response. The service is free, most cases are decided within 3 months, and an accepted decision binds the airline.
Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution — caa.co.uk; AviationADR, airline and airport members — aviationadr.org.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
Both lists name brands, not companies. Neither says whether Ryanair DAC or Ryanair UK Limited is the member. AviationADR takes member complaints on flights involving a UK airport, and for the four Ryanair-group brands also Spain, Sweden and Denmark. The incident must fall within six years, or five if you live in Scotland. In the CAA’s FY26 file Ryanair logged 14,712 Reg 261 complaints to AviationADR, 283 per million passengers (UK airline complaints by airline).
Sweden and 
Denmark. The incident must fall within six years, or five if you live in If Ryanair rejects your claim
Check every fact in a refusal against your records. A passenger report on r/Ryanair (Reddit, November 2025), about a delayed flight from Madeira, reads: “Ryanair replied to my claim saying I had been given hotel accommodation and transportation, so they were rejecting it. Except… that literally never happened.” The same poster reports that Ryanair “approved the full compensation” after a written reply naming ANAC Portugal and ECC Ireland.
Portugal and ECC Outside AviationADR’s scope, escalate to the enforcement body of the EU country your flight left, or, for a flight from outside the EU, the country it landed in. Read the ADR scheme guide, the ADR membership map or what to do when an airline refuses compensation.
AirHelp (third-party claim service)- Write to the airline and keep the reference
- Refused, or no answer in 8 weeks: its ADR scheme or the CAA, free
- You keep all of the compensation
Hand it overAirHelp takes the claim, no win no fee- They deal with Ryanair for you
- AirHelp's fee is 35% of the compensation, VAT included, and nothing if the claim fails.
#How long do you have to claim against Ryanair?
1 year is the shortest deadline a Ryanair passenger can face: a flight out of a Polish airport, under article 778 of the Kodeks cywilny, counted from the day it flew or should have flown. England and Wales give six years, Ireland six, Scotland five and untested.
Source: Kodeks cywilny art. 778 — isap.sejm.gov.pl; Civil Code (Cap. 16) arts. 2153, 2156(f), 2143 — legislation.mt; UK261 art. 3(9); Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15/18.
Article 3(9) of UK261 carries section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980 into a UK claim; Northern Ireland matches it, and Scotland’s 1973 Act extinguishes the obligation after five continuous years with nothing claimed or acknowledged, untested against article 3(9).
Five licensed companies fly as Ryanair, and none of them sets the clock — the airport you left does. A Polish departure is the one-year claim above; an Irish one gives six years under section 11(1) of the Statute of Limitations 1957. A departure from Malta has no settled figure at all: its Civil Code offers two years, five, or a thirty-year residual, with no ruling picking one, so work to two.
A court claim names a company, not a brand: copy the operating carrier from your booking. In Bott & Co Solicitors Ltd v Ryanair DAC [2019] EWCA Civ 143, the Court of Appeal held that Ryanair’s clause making passengers claim directly first was not a material obstacle to compensation. In Pringle & Anor v Ryanair DAC [2025] EWCC 66, the County Court at Caernarfon rejected Ryanair’s challenge to English and Welsh jurisdiction because the claim complied with its terms; that ruling binds no other court.
What a Ryanair court claim costs to issue
Claim | England and Wales (small claims to £10,000) | Scotland (Simple Procedure to £5,000) | Northern Ireland (small claims to £5,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
£220 (1 passenger) | £35 | £23 | £49 |
£440 (2 × £220) | £50 | £127 | £81 |
£700 (2 × £350) | £70 | £127 | £113 |
£1,400 (4 × £350) | £80 | £127 | £163 |
One £220 claim is cheapest in Scotland; the other three are cheapest in England and Wales.
Source: CPR r.26.9 — justice.gov.uk; court fees — gov.uk; Sheriff Court fees — scotcourts.gov.uk; SR 2022/158 — legislation.gov.uk; small claims fees — justice-ni.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15. A hearing fee may follow in England and Wales.
Send your direct claim, then read the small claims court guide.
#How long does Ryanair take to pay compensation?
8 weeks is the wait before an unanswered Ryanair claim can go to AviationADR, and 7 days the deadline to pay a ticket refund you chose. Reported by passengers on public forums: compensation received a median of 4 days after submitting the claim (n = 3 posts, Jan 2025–Sep 2026).
Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution — caa.co.uk; UK261 art. 8(1) — legislation.gov.uk; passenger reports — airtravelrights.com payout-times data, checked 2026-09-15.
Three posts are a small sample, not a promised response time; all three concern EU261 claims. Refused claims sit outside the figure; the payout-times dataset explains the method.
Payout time is one of three clocks. The delay threshold rules say when a flight qualifies; the compensation time limits say how long you have to claim.
Compare Ryanair delay compensation with other airlines: easyJet, also with AviationADR and split across UK and EU licences; Wizz Air, listed with AviationADR under its brand name; Aer Lingus, whose coverage also turns on the operating company; and Jet2, which is not on the CAA’s ADR list.
easyJet
Wizz Air
Aer LingusNote your claim date, and escalate once 8 weeks pass without a response.
General information on Ryanair compensation, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA, Citizens Advice or a solicitor; for flights from Ireland, the Irish Aviation Authority.
Citizens Advice or a solicitor; for flights from Ryanair complaints in the CAA figures
14,712 Reg 261 complaints about Ryanair reached AviationADR in the CAA's 2025/26 figures (April 2025 to March 2026), an estimated 283 per million passengers, and 36.5% of cases were upheld. These are complaints the ADR body or the CAA received, not delays.
Ryanair: complaints, April 2025 to March 2026
| CAA figure | FY26 |
|---|---|
| Handled by | AviationADR |
| Reg 261 complaints | 14,712 |
| All complaints opened | 15,863 |
| Per million passengers (CAA estimate) | 283 |
| Uphold rate | 36.5% |
Source: CAA, Passenger Complaints Data FY26 (Q2 2025 – Q1 2026), data correct as of 3 June 2026 — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-22. The CAA calls the per-million figure "an indicative estimated value only".
#Sources
- UK261 and SI 2023/1370 - legislation.gov.uk.
- EU261 (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004) - eur-lex.europa.eu.
- European Commission, active operating licence list - transport.ec.europa.eu.
- CAA, licence holders, Delays and ADR pages - caa.co.uk.
- AviationADR, Airline and airport members - aviationadr.org.uk.
- European Commission, national enforcement bodies list (27 August 2026) - transport.ec.europa.eu.
- Irish Aviation Authority, Air passenger rights and Licence holders - iaa.ie.
- Air Navigation and Transport Act 2022 s.109; S.I. No. 219/2023 - irishstatutebook.ie.
- Statute of Limitations 1957 s.11 - revisedacts.lawreform.ie; Small Claims - courts.ie.
- Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (NI) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 - legislation.gov.uk.
- Small claims limits and fees - justice.gov.uk, gov.uk, scotcourts.gov.uk, justice-ni.gov.uk.
- The Civil Aviation Authority v Ryanair DAC [2022] EWCA Civ 76 - caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- Jet2.com Ltd v Huzar [2014] EWCA Civ 791 - caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- Bott & Co Solicitors Ltd v Ryanair DAC [2019] EWCA Civ 143 - caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- Pringle & Anor v Ryanair DAC [2025] EWCC 66 - caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- McDonagh, C-12/11 (2013) - eur-lex.europa.eu.
- Ryanair help centre, Cancelled, Delayed and Rescheduled Flights - help.ryanair.com.
European Commission, active operating licence list -