The Superior Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) has ruled in favor of the airline Ryanair, condemning the General Administration of the State to pay late payment interest due to delayed disbursements in the refunds of subsidized tickets for residents of the Canary and Balearic Islands, as reported by the specialized media Tourinews.
The airline sector has been denouncing systematic delays of several months in the settlement of the 75% discount for residents, a structural problem that at the time led to an accumulated debt close to 1 billion euros.
Although the Executive approved an extraordinary financial package in September 2025 to settle the principal capital pending with shipping and air companies, the economic damages derived from the delay remained uncompensated. This situation prompted various airlines —including Vueling, which had already warned of the risk these non-payments pose to island connectivity— to undertake legal actions demanding late payment surcharges.
In the particular case of Ryanair, the company initially claimed a total of 245,000 euros in interest on a principal sum of six million euros. Although the judge recognizes the airline's right to receive said compensation, they have not set a fixed sum, specifying that the exact quantification of the amount will be determined during the enforcement phase of the ruling.
This judicial resolution sets a key precedent that could trigger a wave of unfavorable rulings for public coffers, given that numerous similar lawsuits promoted by other airlines are pending resolution. However, the ruling is not final, as the state representation has a legal margin of 30 days to file an appeal for cassation before the same chamber of the Madrid court.
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