THIS IS THE REASON ALLEGED TO DENY COMPENSATION TO A PASSENGER

Ryanair calls the night closure of the Lanzarote airport a "curfew"

That is the reason it has alleged for not granting compensation to a passenger whose flight was diverted to Gran Canaria after arriving in Lanzarote after Guacimeta's closing time...

July 20 2015 (10:02 WEST)
Ryanair calls the night closure of the Lanzarote airport a "curfew"
Ryanair calls the night closure of the Lanzarote airport a "curfew"

"We sincerely apologize for the diversion of your flight FR2015 from Madrid to Lanzarote on 06/14/2015, which was diverted due to a curfew imposed by the government." With these words, Ryanair has referred to the closure of the Guacimeta airport during the night. It has done so in its response to one of the passengers who spent the night at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria airport last June 14, after the Ryanair flight to Lanzarote was diverted there after departing late, arriving in Guacimeta when the airport was already closed.

This traveler had requested the financial compensation that the European Union regulations contemplate for passengers of flights canceled or arriving at their destinations more than 3 hours late. The company, however, has denied their request. "Since the diversion and subsequent delay were for security reasons and therefore beyond Ryanair's control (extraordinary circumstances), we regret to inform you that there is no monetary compensation in accordance with EU Regulation 261/2004", the airline states in the letter sent to this passenger.

Since the flight departed late from Barajas airport, when the aircraft was flying over Lanzarote it was after 1 a.m., the closing time of the Guacimeta airport. As La Voz published at the time, this caused the 198 passengers traveling on the plane not to reach their destination until more than 8 hours later than planned. The same thing happened less than a month later, with the flight covering the Madrid-Lanzarote route on June 30. On neither occasion did the company warn passengers that they might not arrive in Lanzarote that day, despite the fact that Aena sources indicated at the time that the company "knows perfectly well that the airport is open until 1 a.m. and if they arrive much later they have to go to another one".

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