A Ryanair aircraft was boarded by bailiffs after the airline failed to pay compensation to a passenger whose flight had been delayed for more than 13 hours.
The incident occurred at Linz Airport in Austria, where officials placed a seizure notice inside a Boeing 737 after Ryanair ignored a court order to pay €890 (about $1,000) in compensation and legal costs.
The dispute began with a 2024 flight from Linz to Mallorca that arrived roughly 13 hours late. The passenger eventually purchased an alternative flight and later filed a claim for reimbursement under European passenger rights laws.
When Ryanair did not pay the compensation, the passenger took the airline to court and won the case. After the airline still failed to settle the amount, Austrian authorities were asked to enforce the ruling.
A bailiff boarded the plane while it was preparing for a flight to London and asked the crew if the outstanding payment could be made immediately. Because Ryanair operates cashless flights, the crew could not pay on the spot.
Instead, the bailiff placed a seizure notice inside the aircraft, effectively registering the plane as collateral for the unpaid debt. The aircraft can continue flying, but if the payment is not made by the court’s deadline, it could theoretically be auctioned to recover the money owed.
Under EU passenger rights regulations, travelers can receive compensation of up to €600 when flights arrive more than three hours late, depending on the distance of the journey.