Ryanair has asked the High Court to dismiss a claim by the Swedish Transport Agency that the airline owes it over €1.5 million in unpaid security and authority charges.
Ryanair, which operates several routes from a number of Swedish airports, contends the Irish courts lack jurisdiction to hear the case and the dispute should be determined by a court in Sweden.
The Swedish Transport Agency (Transporttyrelsen) contends the dispute should be determined by the Irish courts as Ryanair is an Irish-based corporate entity.
The agency claims it is owed €1.5 million for a security charge introduced in Sweden pursuant to EU-wide regulations enacted after the 9/11 attacks. In its defence and counterclaim, Ryanair claims the charges amount to a form of taxation, and breach Swedish law. Moving Ryanair’s preliminary application challenging jurisdiction before Mr Justice John Hedigan, Martin Hayden SC yesterday said this was an administrative or public law dispute in Swedish law over what Ryanair says is a form of taxation. The hearing resumes next week.