MILLIONS of Ryanair passengers could be in line for a payout after a landmark court judgment ruled the airline cannot limit the time allowed to claim compensation for flight delays.
Lawyers say the low-cost Irish carrier could be liable for payouts of around £610 million after the firm lost a test case at Manchester County Court.
The airline had argued claims for delays could be limited to two years under a clause in their terms and conditions small print - not six years, as is the rule under European Union Law.
The case was brought by lawyers for six delayed passengers who tried to claim compensation for delayed flights after five years and eight months, which Ryanair contested.
After a long-running legal battle, Judge Platts ruled Ryanair's rules fall foul of European Flight Delay law. Ryanair said it will appeal the decision.
Lawyers say the ruling in the case stands to affect millions of air passengers.
They say if Ryanair had won, all airlines might have been able to put a two-year time bar on all existing and future flight delay claims.
Ryanair argued that by accepting the airline's terms and conditions when they buy a ticket, passengers agree that they only have two years to take a claim to court, despite the earlier Supreme Court judgment.
In the ruling last week, Judge Platts suggested that Ryanair did not have this latest legal argument in mind when the Terms and Conditions were drawn up.
Judge Platts said that Ryanair's complicated legal argument "...requires a somewhat ingenious legal analysis which I doubt was in the mind of the parties when the contract was made".
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "We note this ruling which reverses Lower Court orders that a 2 year time limit for claims is reasonable.
"Since we believe a 6 year time limit for submitting such claims is both unnecessary and unreasonable, we have instructed our lawyers to immediately appeal this ruling.
"Ryanair rubbished the absurd claims about its potential liability under the Manchester Court judgement.
"Firstly, since less than 1% of Ryanair flights are delayed over 3 hours and since more than 90% of passengers make a valid claim within Ryanair’s contractual 2 year period, there is a tiny potential group of passengers who may wish to submit a claim between 2 and 6 years after the date of their flight delay.
"Accordingly, Ryanair estimates that even if its appeal in this matter is ultimately unsuccessful, its potential liability will not be material and is likely to be less than €5m.”
Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer champion charity Which? said: "This case is a huge victory for consumers and should deter other attempts to shorten the six-year time limit for seeking redress.
"It's about time that airlines hold their hands up and pay compensation where it is due.
"We are urging people to hold their airline to account and claim the compensation they are rightly owed if they have a lengthy delay and the airline is at fault."
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