Ryanair denies trying to profit from Brussels bombings

Ryanair has denied claims that it was trying to make a profit from the Brussels terrorist attacks by charging passengers a premium to change their flights.

Councillor Barrie Grunewald, leader of St Helens council in Merseyside, and fellow cabinet member John Fulham claimed the airline had demanded £6,000 to fly 28 passengers back to the UK from Brussels yesterday.

The two Labour politicians blasted the airline on Twitter for failing to answer phone calls from UK customers, according to a report in the Liverpool Echo.

Ryanair said the group was due to fly home today and when it requested to fly home yesterday from nearby Charleroi they were offered seats for an upgraded fare of £154 each, plus a £60 per person ‘change fee’.

A spokesman told the newspaper: "The reason for the upgrade is that there were only 28 seats remaining on this evening’s flight.

"This group declined to accept this change offer as is their right and we look forward to welcoming them on their scheduled flight from Brussels Charleroi tomorrow.

"As of 1.30pm today, there only 12 seats remaining on this evening’s flight from Brussels Charleroi to Manchester as Ryanair has been prioritising free changes and transfers for passengers travelling on flights to and from Brussels Zaventem today and tomorrow.

"We regret any inconvenience caused to this group but our priority today remains re-accommodating our disrupted Brussels Zaventem passengers, and all other passengers are free to avail of our change facility in the normal manner."

Meanwhile, Brussels Zaventem airport remains closed until further notice, forcing other airlines to cancel flights today. The Foreign Office is advising UK visitors to Brussels to remain vigilant and to stay away from crowded places.

British Airways said it was keeping flights for Thursday under review. Passengers booked to travel from tomorrow up to and including Tuesday March 29 can rebook their flights for later dates, it said.

Easyjet is offering passengers the option of transferring to another destination or cashing in their tickets for departures up to and including Monday March 28.

It said on a statement on its website that it is trying to make contact with all passengers who were travelling to or from Brussels airport at the time of the blast.

All Ryanair’s flights to Zaventem airport today will operate from nearby Charleroi airport instead.

It said passengers in Brussels should make their way to Charleroi airport. Their original boarding passes will still be valid, said the airline.

Only those on cancelled flights can claim a refund, it said. It is not offering refunds to passengers who no longer wish to travel.

Two Britons are known to have been injured in yesterday’s bomb blasts, which killed 34 people and injured at least 200 others. A third Briton, who is believed to have been on the metro at the time of the explosion, is missing.