Airlines have to pay passengers compensation even when flights are canceled due to technical faults

Airlines have to pay passengers compensation when flights are canceled or delayed due to unforeseen technical problems, the European Union's top court ruled on Thursday, handing a victory to consumers. The case was brought by a Dutch couple whose flight from Quito, Ecuador, to Amsterdam was delayed by 29 hours, Reuters reports. KLM refused to pay compensation on the grounds that the technical faults that caused the delay were extraordinary circumstances. Under EU law, air carriers do not have to pay compensation if the cancellation or delay is caused by "extraordinary circumstances" such as bad weather, strikes and political instability, which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The Luxembourg-based court said that while technical problems could constitute extraordinary circumstances, for example those caused by acts of sabotage or terrorism, the same could not be said for issues that arise during maintenance of the aircraft or from a failure to carry out such maintenance. In the course of the activities of an air carrier, that unexpected event is inherent in the normal exercise of an air carrier’s activity, as air carriers are confronted as a matter of course with unexpected technical problems, the Court of Justice of the European Union said in a press release, adding that "no component of an aircraft lasts forever".

European Court of Justice Luxembourg

compensation to passengers for canceled flight

Court of Justice of the Europen Union

EU Court of Justice

KLM