Dart Group sets aside £17m after Supreme Court rejects flight delay appeal

DART Group has set aside £17m to cover potential historical claims after its appeal to the Supreme Court surrounding a flight delay case was rejected.

The court, the highest in Britain, refused to hear appeals by Jet 2 and Thomson Airways against two passengers who won compensation after suffering long delays.

Passenger Ronald Huzar made a claim against Jet2.com after his flight from Malaga to Manchester in 2011 was delayed for 27 hours.

The airline claimed a technical fault was ‘unforeseeable’ and they shouldn’t have to pay compensation. But the judges ruled the fault was not an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ and they must pay.

Leeds-based Dart said: “Safety has always been Jet2.com’s first priority. Aircraft have duplicate and triplicate systems to ensure that flights may continue to their destination safely. However, certain technical issues can prevent or delay departures. For these the company has back up and contingency plans to minimise inconvenience to customers.”

The group said it will be making a provision of £17m in its current financial year in order to cover potential historical claims arising from the Supreme Court’s decision.

Going forward, the board estimates that the legislation may cost the group a further £3m-£5m a year.

“The board is currently further reviewing its options to mitigate the future financial impact on its air travel operations,” it said.