EU261 Rights Independent

Current position

Your rights have not changed yet. The reform is now law — Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, published 2 October 2026 — but it applies only from 23 October 2027. It keeps the three-hour threshold and the €250–€600 amounts. What changes in 2027 →

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EU261 · UK261 · FR

Ryanair flight compensation

Ryanair owes €250 or €400 on almost every route when you arrive three hours or more late, or your flight is cancelled at short notice, for a reason within its control; under UK261 it is £220 or £350. Claim on its own EU261 form first, and if it refuses, escalate free: to AviationADR for flights from the UK, otherwise to the enforcement body of the country you departed from.

Checked against its sources

Typical amounts

€250 or €400 on most routes

£220 or £350 under UK261. €600 (£520) is owed only on a flight of more than 3,500 km that is not within the EU, Art 7(1).

Regulator

Where you departed

Home regulator: Irish Aviation Authority (competent for flights departing Ireland). Otherwise complain to the body where your flight departed, or for a flight into the EU from outside, the arrival country: see enforcement bodies.

Registered in

Ireland (Ryanair DAC)

Flights sold as Ryanair may be operated by Buzz (Poland), Malta Air or Lauda Europe (Malta), all EU carriers, or by Ryanair UK, which is not. Only an EU carrier brings a flight into the EU from outside under Art 3(1)(b).

Where to send it

Claim first
Use Ryanair’s EU261 claim form. Ryanair says it takes flights from the last six months and points older claims to its general contact form.
UK flights
Ryanair belongs to AviationADR, a CAA-approved scheme. A refused claim on a UK flight goes there, free, rather than to the CAA.
Germany
Ryanair is on the member list of Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp), the German conciliation body, dated 1 July 2026.
Anywhere else
The enforcement body of the country you departed from, or for a flight into the EU from outside, the arrival country Art 16. Free to use.

Before you accept a refusal

Our advice, not a description of how Ryanair handles claims.

  • If the refusal cites air traffic control restrictions, a strike or weather, ask which event affected your flight and how. Under Art 5(3) the airline has to show the circumstance was extraordinary and could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.
  • If your aircraft was late coming in from an earlier flight, ask what delayed that flight. A knock-on delay excuses the airline only if the original cause was itself extraordinary and it is what made you late.
  • Claim from the airline that operated the flight, shown as “operated by” on the booking. It may not be the one whose name is on the ticket.
  • You can insist on money. Art 7(3) allows travel vouchers only with your signed agreement.
  • The deadline for going to court is set by the country whose courts hear the claim, not by the airline: see time limits by country.

Claim it yourself first

  1. Write to Ryanair quoting the article. “I am claiming under Article 7 for a delayed arrival on [flight] on [date].” Free, and you keep the whole amount. Use the template.
  2. Give them 28 days and diary the deadline.
  3. Refuse a voucher offered in place of cash.
  4. Escalate free to AviationADR for a flight from the UK, otherwise to the enforcement body of the country you departed from, if they refuse.
  5. Only then consider a claims service.
Work out what you’re owed →

Doing it yourself costs nothing and keeps the full amount.

Questions

How much compensation can I claim from Ryanair?

The amount depends on flight distance, not on the airline or your fare: €250, €400 or €600 under Article 7(1), or £220, £350 or £520 under UK261. Most Ryanair routes fall in the €250 or €400 band.

How do I claim compensation from Ryanair?

Use the EU261 claim form on Ryanair's own website, quoting Article 7 and your flight number, and allow 28 days. If it refuses, escalate free: for flights from the UK to AviationADR, its approved ADR scheme, otherwise to the enforcement body of the country you departed from.

Which regulator covers Ryanair?

It depends on where the flight departed, not on the airline. The Irish Aviation Authority handles flights departing Ireland; for a flight from another EU country, complain to that country's body, and for a flight into the EU from outside, to the arrival country's body (Article 16). For flights from the UK, AviationADR comes first.