Aviation watchdog secures €1.12m for passengers in refunds and compensation

Gordon Deegan

Aviation watchdog, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), last year obtained €1.12 million in compensation and refunds for airline passengers in respect of 1,213 complaints upheld against airlines.

The 2025 annual report for the IAA shows that compensation of €795,500 was secured along with €334,471 in refunds for passengers.

The report states that 1,221 complaints against airlines were not upheld in favour of the complainant.

The €1.12 million in compensation and refunds paid out last year is 27 per cent down on the € 1.55 million in compensation and refunds in 2024 concerning 1,726 upheld complaints.

The 2025 report states that the main reason for complaints not being upheld was that the air carrier was able to prove that a disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances and therefore would be exempt from paying compensation.

The report states that of the 1,213 complaints upheld, 629 complaints related to cancellation, 487 complaints concerned long delay, while 85 complaints related to 'denied boarding’.

A further 12 complaints were upheld concerning ‘downgrading’.

The report states that last year Aer Lingus accounted for 31 per cent of all complaints, with Ryanair accounting for 28 per cent.

The report shows that Emerald Airlines accounted for seven per cent of complaints, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways accounted for three per cent each, while the remaining 28 per cent of complaints related to 47 other airlines.

The report also states the IAA handled 2,883 complaints against airlines in 2025; this included complaints carried over from 2024 and 2,112 complaints submitted in 2025.

The 2,883 complaints handled in 2025 is 35 per cent down on the 4,425 complaints handled by the IAA.

The drop in complaints is in contrast to the surge in passengers using Ireland’s six international airports, rising from 40 million in 2024 to 44 million last year.

The report states that the number of complaints submitted in 2025 was down five per cent in comparison to the 2024 complaint levels.

On service quality at Dublin airport, the report states that security queue times have improved notably since 2023, where in 2025, security queue times did not exceed 30 minutes on any day and remained below 20 minutes 99% of the time.

Pre-tax profits at the IAA last year more than doubled from €2.57 million to €7.1 million as revenues increased by 22 per cent to €45.6 million where IAA’s revenues are generated through charges and fees raised from regulated entities and the users of its services.

The IAA’s legal costs and settlements last year totalled €730,000, made up of €407,000 in settlements and €323,000 in costs, and the report states that the determination of legal costs in respect of a legacy defamation case from 2014 was settled in 2025 for the sum of €407,486 following a Supreme Court Decision.

Numbers employed increased from 189 to 205, with 144 engaged in safety regulation; 40 in corporate services and 21 in ‘other operational’.

Staff costs increased from €22 million to €24.76 million, and the report shows that 99 employees earned more than €100,000; that included four in the €175,000 to €200,000 pay range, 28 earning between €150,000 and €175,000, 47 earning between €125,000 and €150,000 and 20 earning between €100,000 and €125,000.

CEO Declan Fitzpatrick received €195,000 in salary and €21,255 in pension contributions.

In her report, chair, Rose Hynes states that profits were higher than expected last year.

Hynes stated that “the company’s expected cost base was lower than expected, thus planned expenditure within the period was not as high as anticipated”

Hynes stated that “there were a number of reasons for this result, many exceptional items that the IAA does not foresee re-occurring.

This includes significantly less expenditure on pay, pensions and training.

Hynes stated that “in addition, legal and consultancy costs have been lower than expected, largely due to daa plc. discontinuing a High Court action against IAA in relation to airport charges at the start of the year”.