Ryanair (FR), the carrier that introduced paperless boarding last year, agreed to pay combined damages approaching €25,000 to two passengers who suffered injuries on separate flights, Ireland’s Circuit Civil Court heard on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. The cases were brought before Judge James O’Donohoe and both were settled without proceeding to a full trial, The Irish Times reported.
The first case involved a young child who was inadvertently scalded by hot tea on a flight from Athens, Greece to Dublin, Ireland. The second involved a Clare-based driver who alleged a sales trolley struck his left knee on a flight from Shannon to Wrocław, Poland, before Christmas 2024. Both settlements were approved by Judge O’Donohoe on the same day.
The First Case Involves an Eight-Year-Old Boy Scalded by Hot Tea On Athens–Dublin Flight
Barrister Mark Byrne appeared before Judge O’Donohoe on behalf of Eoin Long, who celebrated his eighth birthday the previous week. Byrne told the court that the incident occurred on a Ryanair flight from Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH), Greece, to Dublin Airport (DUB), Ireland. Eoin was six years old at the time of the injury.
The court heard that Eoin was returning from a holiday in Greece with his parents when a flight attendant served hot tea to the boy’s father. During the service, hot tea spilled over Eoin’s right arm and right thigh. A flight attendant and a nurse who happened to be seated nearby provided on-board first aid to the child.
According to The Irish Times, Barrister Byrne told the court that the injuries had not caused any scarring to the boy’s arm or leg. He recommended that the court accept Ryanair’s settlement offer of €12,000, which Judge O’Donohoe approved.
The Second Case Involved Clare Driver’s Knee Injury on Shannon–Wrocław Flight
The second case was brought by Krzysztof Matkowski, a 40-year-old driver who resides at Ashview Court, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare. He claimed to have suffered an injury to his left knee on a Ryanair flight from Shannon Airport (SNN), Ireland, to Copernicus Airport Wrocław (WRO), Poland, in late 2024. Barrister Paul Gallagher appeared for Matkowski in the proceedings.
Matkowski had originally brought a €60,000 damages claim against Ryanair, alleging a sales trolley had collided with his knee during the flight. He further alleged the resulting soft tissue injury caused him pain when driving. The case eventually settled within the €15,000 jurisdiction of the District Court.
Barrister Gallagher explained that the settlement attracted only District Court costs, indicating the final sum paid by Ryanair fell below the €15,000 threshold. The exact amount was not publicly revealed in court.
A Pattern of Hot Beverage Incidents on Ryanair Flights
The Eoin Long case is not the first time Ryanair has faced legal action over in-flight scalding injuries. Irish courts have heard several such cases over the past few years, establishing a clear pattern of litigation.
In February 2026, the Circuit Civil Court approved a €15,500 settlement after an 18-month-old child was allegedly scalded by hot coffee on a Ryanair flight from Reus Airport (REU), Spain, to DUB. That child’s legal team alleged:
- Ryanair used a tray not suitable for its purpose
- Hot drinks were placed in dangerous proximity to a young child
- The coffee container did not have a properly secured lid
- The airline did not have an adequate first aid box on board
In 2019, an eight-year-old American girl named Sriya Venkata Neti settled her High Court action for €150,000 after suffering significant scald burns when a cup of hot chocolate tipped into her lap on a Ryanair flight from Rome to Kraków. The child’s barrister noted that, under the Warsaw Convention, an airline can be held liable for bodily injuries caused by an “unexpected or unusual event external to the passenger” without requiring proof of specific negligence.
A Circuit Civil Court judge was told as far back as 2017 that scalding cases on Ryanair flights came before the courts every month. That frequency has continued to produce court settlements into 2026.
Ryanair’s Onboard Service Model And Safety Context
Ryanair operates one of the highest-volume in-flight retail programmes in European aviation. The airline’s ancillary revenue model includes hot and cold beverages, meals, and a range of goods sold from trolleys pushed through narrow cabin aisles. The airline carried 200 million passengers in its fiscal year 2025 and operates a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft across its European network.
The confined nature of narrow-body cabins, where trolleys must pass through rows with limited clearance, creates specific risk conditions for both hot beverage spills and trolley-related injuries. Courts have heard that these incidents occur regularly enough to produce consistent litigation. A Ryanair cabin crew member in the 2026 Reus–Dublin case noted in submitted evidence that staff receive specific training on the handling and service of hot drinks, including securing lids before service.
Ryanair has not issued a public statement in response to either of the June 16 settlements. The airline has a general practice of settling qualifying personal injury claims within Irish courts rather than contesting them to verdict, as demonstrated by multiple cases reviewed by the Circuit Civil Court in recent years.
