Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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508. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the consumer protection rights and compensation available to persons at national and EU level following the cancellation of thousands of flights by a company (details supplied); and if he or his departmental officials have had direct discussions with the company since the cancellations were announced. [41925/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The legal framework in relation to air passenger rights in the event of cancellation, denied boarding and delay is set at EU level and is governed by the provisions of EU Regulation 261/2004. The regulation provides for consumer protections which may include, depending on the circumstances arising, refund of airfares, re-routing (i.e. provision of comparable transport to the passenger destination at the earliest opportunity), care and assistance and compensation and/or reimbursement of certain expenses under defined conditions. In addition to the provisions of Regulation 261/2004, the European Commission has published a complementary set of interpretive guidelines in 2016 in order to clarify rights and ensure better application of the regulation by air carriers and its enforcement by the national enforcement bodies in each Member State.

The Commission for Aviation Regulation is the independent regulator for the enforcement of air passenger rights in Ireland, functioning as the national enforcement body for such matters. The Commission for Aviation Regulation has been working directly with the airline (details supplied) since the cancellation announcement was made to ensure that the provisions of the regulation were correctly applied in respect of the passengers affected. The Commission has also made information available to consumers on its website and is available to advise consumers by phone and by email. The Commission is continuing its engagement with the airline.

I have also been in direct contact with the airline’s CEO and have expressed the Government’s concerns at the significant disruption caused to passengers by these cancellations, and I will continue to engage with the Commission for Aviation Regulation and the airline to ensure that all Irish passengers’ rights are upheld and that any possible impact upon them is minimised.