Coleman Legal LLP are representing a number of clients in an action against Ryanair after a flight from Dublin to Zadar Airport was forced into an emergency descent in July 2018.

One of our clients, a 17-year-old schoolboy from Co Kildare, has experienced emotional distress after the unexpected incident. He suffered from nightmares following the emergency landing of the plane, he was just 11 years old at the time.

The Ryanair aircraft had to make an emergency descent into Frankfurt Hahn airport due to loss of cabin pressure during the flight.

Our client’s mother issued proceedings in the Circuit Court on behalf of her son as he is underage. Each member of their family who were onboard have ongoing claims against the airline company.

In July 2018, the aircraft sustained a sudden inflight depressurisation which had resulted in the necessity for an emergency descent into Frankfurt Hahn airport before the family were able to continue their flight to Zadar.

Our client’s mother has said that it was a traumatic event for everyone involved and that her son had dealt with everything extremely well. The rules of the Montreal Convention allowed these claims to be made against the Ryanair.

The Convention states that, in order to recover damages, the event that occurred had to be an accident and the complainant had to have suffered bodily injury.

Our client had subsequently been diagnosed with a degree of stress secondary to the incident as well as headaches.

Ryanair had admitted in their defence that the incident had been an accident.

Judge O’Connor of the Circuit was satisfied that these two elements being present in the case meant that the Court could approve Counsel’s recommendation of a €10,000 settlement offer by Ryanair.