Irish ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair has been ordered to pay €10,000 ($10,800) to a schoolboy who suffered a “terrifying ordeal” onboard a flight in 2018.
Stefan Kokic, now aged 17 (but aged 11 during the incident), was on a Ryanair flight in 2018 from Dublin Airport (DUB) to Croatia’s Zadar Airport (ZAD) when the aircraft had to make an emergency landing into Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN) after the cabin experienced loss of pressure.
According to the Irish Examiner, Barrister Ciaran Mandal told Judge John O’Connor in the Circuit Civil Court on July 3, 2023 that Kokic underwent a “terrifying ordeal” because of the incident.
“Stefan was involved in an undoubtedly terrifying ordeal,” Mandal said.
The 17-year-old had sued Ryanair through his mother, Nikolina Kokic who said in an affidavit that her son had suffered emotional upset as a result of the accident but had dealt well with the experience.
Following the incident, Stefan visited his physician twice, and was diagnosed with a degree of stress secondary to the incident as well as headaches.
The claim was brought under the Montreal Convention which states the event that occurred had to be an accident and the complainant had to have suffered bodily injury in order to recover damages.
Mandal said the airline had belatedly conceded the event was an accident.
On July 3, 2023, Judge John O’Connor in the Circuit Civil Court ordered Ryanair to issue a €10,000 settlement offer on the basis of “outstanding issues”.
