Airport owners should provide free assistance
Nevertheless we are appealing the Ross decision, not so that Mr Ross or any other disabled passenger should pay a fee, but precisely so that neither Mr Ross nor any disabled passenger should pay anything for disabled assistance through a terminal building.
What’s at issue here is the responsibility of the airport owner/operator to provide disabled assistance on a free of charge basis through their terminal buildings. At the overwhelming majority of European airports, this service is provided by the airport operator/owner free of charge and it is BAA Stansted and a tiny minority of other airports that are out of line with this custom and practice in trying to evade their responsibility as owners of the buildings and oblige either their customer airlines or customer passengers to meet these payments.
Stansted Airport is one of the most profitable airports in the world and it is not much to ask that they provide disabled access through this public building which they own and operate. Mr Ross was flying with Ryanair from Stansted to the south of France for just stg£10, and we believe it is unfair to ask Ryanair to spend almost double this fee (£18) to provide Mr Ross with wheelchair assistance through a building which we don’t own or operate.
I hope this clarifies the position,
Paul Fitzsimmons
Head of Communications
Ryanair
Corporate Head Office
Dublin Airport
