BA refuses compensation for 'Stanley Johnson flight'

Around 200 passengers on the British Airways “Stanley Johnson” flight from Malaga to London Gatwick that was diverted to Heathrow will not get compensation for the delay and inconvenience.

- SIMON CALDER

On 28 June 2024, a British Airways plane blocked the runway at Gatwick, which was closed to landings for 50 minutes. BA flight 2641 from the Spanish city was among 16 diversions – one to as far away as Brussels. The Airbus A321, with the former prime minister’s father on board, landed at Heathrow. The plan was to refuel and fly on to Gatwick as soon as possible after the runway at the Sussex airport reopened.

One passenger, Richard Davenport, told The Independent: “The plan was to refuel, and the aircraft was given a slot to fly to Gatwick. However, as Stanley Johnson decided he wanted to get off – along with another passenger – we subsequently missed the slot. It took a few hours to sort, and ultimately BA cancelled the flight. All passengers then had to deplane, proceed through immigration, and then take a bus to Gatwick.”

With passengers arriving at their intended airport well over three hours late, some assumed that British Airways would be liable to pay delay compensation for the incident. But BA appears to be relying on a clause in the European Union guidance on compensation that treats all airports serving a single city as equivalent. It could save the airline up to £70,000.