Ryanair at London Stansted
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Quick answer
Ryanair DAC is licensed in Ireland, so Regulation 261/2004 covers all Ryanair flights departing from the EU/EEA and all Ryanair flights into the EU/EEA; UK261 covers Ryanair UK departures. Because most Ryanair routes are under 1,500 km, the typical amount is €250 (£220) per passenger, rising to €400 (£350) on longer routes such as Dublin–Canary Islands. All flights departing London Stansted are covered by UK261, whatever the airline: £220 for routes up to 1,500 km, £350 up to 3,500 km and £520 beyond. Inbound flights from the EU are covered on UK and EU airlines — which at Stansted means almost everyone, since Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 dominate. Stansted–Dublin and Stansted–Milan pay £220; Stansted–Málaga and Stansted–Faro pay £350; Stansted–Tel Aviv just crosses 3,500 km and pays £520.
Rules for Ryanair flights departing London Stansted Airport
UK261 (UK passenger rights)
Fixed compensation depends only on the distance of the flight: £220 up to 1,500 km, £350 between 1,500 and 3,500 km, £520 beyond.
Who enforces it: UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Escalation: AviationADR (UK flights)
Ryanair routes from London Stansted
- Dublin (DUB) · 470 km£220
- Milan (BGY) · 978 km£220
Can Ryanair passengers claim compensation?
Yes. Ryanair holds a EU/EEA licence, so Regulation 261 covers its flights departing from the EU/EEA, the UK or Switzerland and its flights into them: £220–£520 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding — unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance.
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Already known from this page
- Ryanair
- From London (STN)
What happened to your flight?
Ryanair at Stansted
Stansted is Ryanair’s largest base and the airport where its UK entity, Ryanair UK, operates alongside Ryanair DAC and Malta Air under the same FR flight numbers. Departures from Stansted are UK departures under UK261 — £220 per passenger on almost every route, £350 on the few beyond 1,500 km such as the Canary Islands, Cyprus or Israel. Ryanair is a member of AviationADR for UK flights, whose decisions bind the airline; the UK CAA is the enforcement body.
Stansted’s early-morning wave is where Ryanair’s tight rotations show: the first departures leave on time and knock-on delays build through the day, so a late-afternoon delay is often the fourth sector of the same aircraft. Ryanair must then show the first delay had an extraordinary cause. Claims go through Ryanair’s EU261 form; escalate to AviationADR after a rejection or eight weeks, then the courts of England and Wales.
Rules for Ryanair flights departing London Stansted Airport
Every departure from London Stansted Airport is covered by UK261, whichever Ryanair entity operated the aircraft: the departure airport decides the regime, the operating carrier only matters for flights into Europe from outside it. Fixed compensation is £220 per passenger on flights up to 1,500 km, £350 between 1,500 and 3,500 km and £520 beyond — from 3 hours of arrival delay, for a cancellation announced less than 14 days ahead without a replacement inside the legal windows, or for denied boarding — unless Ryanair proves extraordinary circumstances.
What Ryanair owes whatever the cause
A cancellation at London Stansted Airport always gives you the choice between a full cash refund within 7 days and re-routing, plus meals, refreshments and, if you are kept overnight, a hotel and the transport to it. A delay gives the same care from 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on the distance, and a refund from 5 hours if you abandon the trip. None of this depends on the cause: weather and air-traffic control remove the compensation, never the refund or the care.
Claiming and escalating from London Stansted Airport
- Submit the claim through Ryanair’s official channel (https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb), one claim per booking, with the booking reference, the flight and date, the arrival delay or the cancellation notice, and the amount per passenger.
- If Ryanair refuses or is silent for 8 weeks, escalate to AviationADR (UK flights); the enforcement body for London Stansted Airport is UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
- A small claim in the courts of the departure country remains available within its limitation period.
Frequently asked questions
Which rules apply to Ryanair flights from London?
UK261 — the departure airport decides. Compensation is £220, £350 or £520 per passenger by distance, plus refund, re-routing and care rights.
How much does Ryanair pay for a Stansted delay?
£220 per passenger from three hours of arrival delay on routes up to 1,500 km, £350 beyond that, unless Ryanair proves an extraordinary circumstance affected your flight.
Which body handles a Ryanair complaint for a Stansted flight?
AviationADR, the approved scheme Ryanair belongs to for UK flights. File after Ryanair's rejection or eight weeks of silence; its decision binds Ryanair.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-257/14 van der Lans v KLM — spontaneous technical failure is inherent in the normal exercise of the activity
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia — technical problems are not, as such, extraordinary circumstances
- European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
- European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
- UK Civil Aviation AuthorityAlternative dispute resolution (ADR) for aviation complaints
- UK Civil Aviation AuthorityDelays and cancellations — your rights
- UK Government — legislation.gov.ukRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (assimilated law)
- UK Government — legislation.gov.ukThe Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/278)
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 16 September 2026
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