RYANAIR WELCOME COURT OF APPEAL DECISION

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News Release
21.12.04

RYANAIR WELCOME COURT OF APPEAL DECISION
TO FORCE BAA STANSTED TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY
FOR WHEELCHAIR SERVICES

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 low fares airline today (Tuesday, 21st December 2004) welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the previous County Court ruling in the Ross case, and finally establish the responsibility of the British Airport Authority to provide for wheelchair assistance for passengers.

The Court of Appeal’s decision establishes a 50/50 responsibility upon BAA Stansted and the airlines for the provision of wheelchair services through the terminal building at Stansted Airport. Ryanair is disappointed that the Court of Appeal did not establish that the BAA was 100% responsible - as is the case with the owners of all other public buildings - for wheelchair access, however the Court of Appeal’s decision to clearly impose a 50% responsibility on the BAA will be welcomed by all airlines using BAA airports, as well as by disabled passengers.

Today’s judgement concluded that:

The original County Court judge was “wrong to acquit BAA Stansted of responsibility”
BAA Stansted’s “failure is a serious one”
BAA Stansted “unlawfully discriminated against Mr. Ross”
In keeping with this announcement today, Ryanair accordingly will be reducing its wheelchair levy by 50%, and we will be continuing our campaign to persuade the BAA monopoly airports in London to provide a free of charge wheelchair assistance service to the disabled, in line with custom and practice at 87 of Ryanair’s 93 European airports, and also in line with the current European Union draft disability paper which states “there is a strong case for making the airport manager responsible for organising and financing the assistance of people with reduced mobility who need to use air transport”. Ryanair fully supports and endorses this view.

Welcoming today’s victory at the Court of Appeal, Ryanair’s Head of Communications, Paul Fitzsimmons, said:

“We welcome the decision by the Court of Appeal to clearly and unambiguously impose a responsibility upon the British Airports Authority to provide for wheelchair access through its terminal buildings. Today’s decision vindicates Ryanair’s decision to appeal the Ross case, and highlights again that Ryanair is fighting on behalf of disabled passengers to force those few airport managers, such as the BAA, to provide free of charge wheelchair access in a manner similar to most other European airports. Ryanair will continue to fight to lower the cost of air travel for all passengers and it is not unreasonable that the very rich owners of terminal buildings such as BAA Stansted should be responsible for providing free of charge wheelchair access through these complicated terminal buildings for those with limited mobility”.

Cheers,
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