Reacting to the decision by Portugal’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) five months ago saying that Airlines would be obliged to compensate passengers for the fuel problem that occurred a little more than a year ago, the easyJet director in Portugal, José Lopes, confirmed that the airline had been notified, but it “did not agree at all”.

“It was an external factor, we have no control over fuel failures at airports”, he told reporters on the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow in the UK.

Ryanair and TAP have also said they will pay passengers compensation as the regulator demanded, but they would require Galp to repay them.

A fuel system failure at Lisbon airport on 10 May last year affected over 41,000 people and the cancellation of 98 flights, another 262 took off late and 12 were diverted to other destinations.