Ryanair Weather Cancellation: Is Weather an Extraordinary Circumstance?

Ryanair is one of the most frequent users of the extraordinary circumstances defense when passengers file EU261 compensation claims. Weather is Ryanair's most common cited reason. But the answer to whether weather qualifies is not a simple yes or no. It depends on the specific weather event, the airport, and crucially, whether Ryanair took all reasonable measures to minimize the impact.

The key rule: Under EU261, an extraordinary circumstance exempts the airline from paying compensation ONLY if (1) the event was genuinely beyond the airline's control AND (2) the airline took all reasonable measures to avoid or minimize the disruption. Both conditions must be met. Ryanair must prove both, not just assert them.

EU Regulation 261/2004 governs your rights when Ryanair cancels or significantly delays your flight. The regulation applies to all Ryanair flights departing from EU airports, and to Ryanair flights arriving into the EU if the flight originated outside the EU. For the foundational rules, see the EU261 rights guide.

The term 'extraordinary circumstances' appears in Article 5(3) of EU Regulation 261/2004. The regulation does not define it exhaustively but provides examples in recital 14:

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  Political instability

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  Meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned

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  Security risks

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  Unexpected flight safety shortcomings

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  Strikes affecting the operation of a carrying air carrier

Notice the precise wording: 'meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned.' This is not any bad weather. It must be weather so severe that safe operation of that specific flight is impossible. Light fog, moderate wind, and routine seasonal storms typically do not meet this threshold at major airports with modern instrument landing systems.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has consistently narrowed the scope of extraordinary circumstances through a series of landmark rulings. Airlines bear the burden of proving both elements: that the event was extraordinary AND that all reasonable measures were taken.

Certain weather events have been consistently accepted as extraordinary circumstances by courts and enforcement bodies across the EU:

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  Hurricane or tropical storm warnings: An active hurricane or named tropical storm making an airport non-operational qualifies. This is weather genuinely incompatible with flight operation.

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  Exceptional snowstorms causing full airport closure: Not a routine winter storm, but a blizzard or ice storm that closes runways entirely and grounds all aircraft at the airport.

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  Volcanic ash (like Eyjafjallajokull in 2010): Ash clouds that trigger airspace closure by aviation authorities are textbook extraordinary circumstances.

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  Severe thunderstorms with lightning strikes on runways: Active thunderstorm cells directly over the airport that make ground operations unsafe.

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  Extreme wind shear exceeding aircraft operating limits: Documented wind shear beyond the safe operating envelope of the specific aircraft type.

In these cases, Ryanair's extraordinary circumstances defense is likely to succeed. However, Ryanair still must prove it took reasonable steps to reroute passengers, arrange alternative flights, and minimize the delay. Abandoning passengers without rebooking does not satisfy the duty of care even when compensation is not owed.

Many weather-related cancellations and delays do NOT qualify as extraordinary circumstances, even though Ryanair routinely claims otherwise:

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  Routine fog: Major European airports including Dublin, London Stansted, and Barcelona have Category II and III ILS systems designed to operate in low visibility. Routine fog that other airlines flew through does not make fog extraordinary for Ryanair.

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  Predictable seasonal winds: Ryanair operates in Europe year-round. Seasonal weather patterns (Atlantic storms in October, Mistral in southern France, Tramontane in Catalonia) are predictable and must be planned for.

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  Downstream weather effect: Ryanair often cancels a flight citing weather at a different airport that affected the inbound aircraft. Courts have held that Ryanair must prove the original weather disruption was extraordinary, not just that the knock-on effect cascaded to your flight.

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  Weather at a hub that Ryanair could have rerouted around: If other airlines operated the same route on the same day, Ryanair faces difficulty proving the weather made the specific flight impossible.

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  Light rain or moderate wind below aircraft operating limits: These are not extraordinary. An airline cannot cite 'weather' as extraordinary when conditions were within normal operating parameters.

Critical point: The weather must make THAT specific flight impossible to operate safely. If Ryanair cancelled your Dublin-to-Lisbon flight citing fog in Dublin, but Aer Lingus and TAP operated the same route that day, the fog argument collapses.

Ryanair has developed a systematic approach to the extraordinary circumstances defense that consumer advocacy groups have criticized repeatedly. Common Ryanair tactics include:

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  Sending a generic denial letter citing 'adverse weather conditions' with no specific weather data, no date/time of the weather event, and no explanation of how the weather made the specific flight impossible.

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  Attributing a late-running cancellation to weather from an earlier flight in the same aircraft's rotation, even when that weather event was minor.

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  Citing airport NOTAM restrictions that were precautionary rather than mandatory, and presenting them as grounds for extraordinary circumstances.

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  Offering a voucher in lieu of cash compensation without disclosing that passengers are entitled to cash under EU261.

Receiving a weather denial from Ryanair does not mean your claim is finished. The legal standard is demanding, and Ryanair's denial letters frequently do not provide the level of evidence a national enforcement body or court would require to accept the extraordinary circumstances defense.

The landmark ECJ case Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia (C-549/07, 2008) established the foundational legal test for extraordinary circumstances. Although the case involved a technical fault, the court's two-part test applies equally to weather: (1) the event must be extraordinary in nature and not inherent to the airline's normal activity, and (2) the airline must prove it could not have avoided the delay even by taking all reasonable measures.

Subsequent rulings have applied this test to weather specifically:

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  Van der Lans v KLM (C-257/14, 2015): Reinforced that airlines cannot simply label an event as extraordinary. The cause must be genuinely external and unavoidable, AND all reasonable operational measures must have been taken.

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  Delayfix v Ryanair (various national courts): Multiple national court decisions across Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK have rejected Ryanair's generic weather denials for failing to provide specific meteorological data tied to the specific flight.

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  German Amtsgericht rulings: German local courts have consistently required airlines to produce official METAR weather reports, airport NOTAM documentation, and evidence that no alternative routing was possible before accepting weather as extraordinary.

Enforcement body position: The national enforcement bodies across the EU have issued guidance that weather must be 'meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned', not merely conditions that made operations more difficult or costly.

1. 1

   Obtain Ryanair's denial letter in writing. If Ryanair only communicated by phone or app notification, send a formal written request for their stated reason for the extraordinary circumstances denial.

2. 2

   Check what other airlines did that day. Search FlightAware (flightaware.com) for other flights on the same route, same day, same airport. If competitors operated normally, the weather was not incompatible with flight operation.

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   Get historical weather data. METAR records for the relevant airport and time period are publicly available. They show actual wind speed, visibility, cloud ceiling, and precipitation at the time of your flight.

4. 4

   Check for airport closure NOTAMs. If the airport was not officially closed or restricted by air traffic control, Ryanair's weather defense is weaker. Airport closure data is publicly available from Eurocontrol and national ANSPs.

5. 5

   Document Ryanair's rebooking offer. Did Ryanair offer you an alternative flight promptly? Failure to rebook passengers is evidence Ryanair did not take all reasonable measures.

6. 6

   Gather your own evidence: boarding pass, booking confirmation, delay notification timestamps, receipts for expenses incurred.

7. 7

   Send a formal challenge letter citing Wallentin-Hermann and requesting specific meteorological documentation. Give Ryanair 14 days to respond with evidence.

When challenging Ryanair's weather defense, your goal is to show either that the weather was not extraordinary, or that Ryanair did not take all reasonable measures. The following evidence types carry the most weight with enforcement bodies and courts:

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  METAR reports: Aviation weather reports issued hourly at most airports. They show visibility, wind, precipitation, and cloud ceiling at the exact time of your flight. Available through national meteorological services and aviation databases.

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  FlightAware operation logs: A screenshot showing other airlines operating the same or similar routes on the same day and time. This directly undermines a 'weather made flight impossible' argument.

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  Airport NOTAM records: Notices to Air Missions issued by the airport or air traffic control authority. If no NOTAM restricted the runway, Ryanair's weather claim is hard to sustain.

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  Ryanair's own delay records: Request from Ryanair the specific reason code logged for your flight in their operations system. Airlines are required to record the reason for each disruption.

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  News coverage: For severe weather events, news reports confirm whether conditions were genuinely exceptional at the airport on that date.

Ryanair operates from airports across many EU member states. While EU261 is EU-wide, the national enforcement body and the national civil courts that handle escalated claims vary by departure country. Key differences:

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  Ireland: The Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) handles EU261 complaints. Ryanair is headquartered in Dublin, so Irish courts have jurisdiction and are well-versed in Ryanair disputes.

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  UK (pre-Brexit flights): For flights before the Brexit transition, EU261 applied. Post-Brexit UK flights from UK airports are governed by UK261. The UK CAA handles UK261 complaints.

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  Spain: AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aerea) handles EU261 complaints. Ryanair operates heavily from Spanish airports including Palma, Malaga, and Alicante.

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  Germany: The LBA handles EU261 complaints. German courts have a strong track record of rejecting vague extraordinary circumstances claims.

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  Italy: ENAC is the enforcement body. Italian courts are slower but have generally followed ECJ precedent.

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  Poland: ULC (Urzad Lotnictwa Cywilnego) handles complaints. Ryanair has a significant base at Warsaw Modlin.

The statute of limitations for EU261 claims varies: 3 years in Germany and Austria, 2 years in France, 1 year in Spain and Poland. File before the deadline even if you are awaiting Ryanair's response.

Most passengers who lose legitimate EU261 claims against Ryanair make one of these avoidable errors:

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  Accepting the first denial. Ryanair's first response is often automated. A formal written challenge with evidence has a significantly higher success rate.

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  Not checking what other airlines did. This is the single most powerful piece of evidence in a weather dispute. If competitors flew the route, Ryanair loses the 'impossible to operate' argument.

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  Missing the statute of limitations. Waiting more than 1-2 years means your claim may be time-barred in some countries even if valid.

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  Accepting a voucher instead of cash. Signing the voucher acceptance often waives your right to cash compensation. Never sign under pressure at the airport.

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  Not getting the disruption reason in writing. Verbal explanations at the gate cannot be used as evidence. Always request written documentation.

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  Filing only through Ryanair's website and stopping there. Ryanair's internal process is not independent. If they deny the claim, escalate to the national enforcement body.

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  Not claiming duty of care expenses. Even if you ultimately cannot claim compensation due to extraordinary circumstances, Ryanair still owes you meals, communication, and hotel if the delay was overnight.

If Ryanair denies your weather claim and you believe the denial is unjustified, the escalation path is:

1. 1

   Send a formal written challenge letter to Ryanair with your evidence (METAR data, FlightAware logs, competitor flight records). Give 14 days for a response.

2. 2

   If Ryanair maintains the denial or does not respond, file with the relevant national enforcement body for your departure airport. Links to all bodies are available at the EU enforcement body directory.

3. 3

   If the enforcement body process does not resolve the claim to your satisfaction, consider Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Many EU countries have designated ADR bodies for aviation disputes.

4. 4

   Small claims court remains an option. In Ireland, Ryanair's home jurisdiction, the Small Claims Court handles claims under 2,000 EUR. Success rates for passengers with solid evidence are high.

A third-party service like TravelStacks or AirHelp can handle the escalation process on your behalf on a no-win no-fee basis. This is particularly useful for non-EU based passengers who do not want to navigate foreign enforcement systems.

A Ryanair weather denial is not the end of your claim. With the right evidence, the extraordinary circumstances defense fails in a significant proportion of cases where airlines use it as a blanket response. The two-part legal test set by Wallentin-Hermann requires genuine proof, not just an assertion.

Start with the evidence gathering steps in this guide, send a formal written challenge, and escalate to the national enforcement body if Ryanair does not respond adequately. For a complete picture of your rights under the regulation, the EU261 guide covers all disruption types, compensation amounts, and the duty of care rules that apply even when extraordinary circumstances are valid.

If you want help managing the claim from start to finish, file with TravelStacks for EU261 and UK261 claims. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

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  Is rain or fog always an extraordinary circumstance for Ryanair? No. Routine fog and light rain are not extraordinary, especially at airports with modern instrument landing systems. The weather must make the specific flight impossible to operate safely.

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  What if Ryanair cancelled due to weather at another airport affecting the inbound plane? Ryanair must prove the original weather disruption was extraordinary, not just that the delay cascaded. Courts require specific evidence tied to the specific flight in the rotation.

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  If other airlines flew the route, does that mean weather was not extraordinary? In most cases yes. If competitors successfully operated the same route on the same day, it strongly undermines Ryanair's argument that weather made the flight impossible.

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  Can I get duty of care (meals, hotel) even if weather is a valid extraordinary circumstance? Yes. Duty of care is owed regardless of whether compensation is payable. Ryanair must provide meals after 2 hours and hotel accommodation for overnight delays.

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  How long do I have to challenge Ryanair's weather denial? It depends on the country of departure. In Ireland it is 6 years, Germany and Austria 3 years, France 2 years, Spain and Poland 1 year. File as soon as possible.