Polish ambassador joins calls for Ryanair to drop prices for Ukrainian refugees

Polish ambassador to Ireland Anna Sochánska has asked Ryanair to give discounted or free passage to Ukrainian refugees. Picture: Jim Coughlan

The Polish ambassador to Ireland has asked Ryanair to give discounted or free passage on its planes to Ukrainian refugees.

In an open letter to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, Anna Sochańska explains the request follows concerns about “substantially increased” ticket prices being charged by the low fares airline.

“It has been brought to my attention by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland Ms Larysa Gerasko that ticket prices on flights from Poland to Dublin have been substantially increased,” she says in her letter.

“Due to Russian aggression on Ukraine, millions of refugees have arrived in Poland. Almost instantly the airports in Kraków and Rzeszów became transport hubs for Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter with family and friends across Europe.

“Due to close Irish-Polish co-operation over the years, Ryanair is the main airline operating in those airports.” 

Addressing widespread anger among refugees and volunteers trying to help them, she said: “I want to believe the sudden price issues are caused by an automated algorithm that is increasing prices due to heightened demand for Ryanair's services.

I hope that the rapid rise in the ticket prices for the Ukrainian refugees was unintentional and that Ryanair will implement discounts or free vouchers for the Ukrainian citizens, who try to escape the horrors of war and find refuge in Europe.” 

Ryanair has been repeatedly asked by the Ukrainian Embassy in Dublin to reduce its airfares for refugees, but to no avail.

Ms Gerasko said staff from the embassy had spoken to Ryanair officials twice in as many weeks but got nowhere with them.

She also brought the matter up again when she appeared at the Joint Committee on EU Affairs in the Dáil recently.

Commercial airlines have been accused of "profiteering on the backs of human misery" as flight prices from Poland to Ireland fluctuate due to increased demand.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary: 'This story that we are hiking the fares out of Poland [is] completely false.'

Billy Kelleher is one of a number of MEPs who have called on the Government to charter commercial passenger jets to carry Ukrainian refugees to Ireland due to the high costs of commercial airlines.

Prices are varying from as little as €30 per person to as high as €300 per person, depending on demand in particular locations.

Added to that, refugees are being charged about €125 each for airport taxes and other charges on top of the cost of their flights, and then extra for their bags.

The Government, however, still has no plans to charter passenger flights to bring Ukrainian refugees to Ireland.

Mr O'Leary recently said at Cheltenham that there are “loads of cheap flights out there” and that there would be flights over the coming days priced at €20 and €50 one-way to different destinations in Europe from Poland.

And he insisted: “This story that we are hiking the fares out of Poland [is] completely false.” However, he admitted: “If a flight fills, the last few fares will be sold at the highest fares.

"That’s how our business runs.”