Budget airline Ryanair has written to a Dutch organisation which helps passengers claim compensation for delays saying it is disturbing ‘the good relationship with passengers,’ according to broadcaster NOS.

The letter calls on EUclaim to stop putting in claims on behalf of passengers who face delays or whose flights have been cancelled. Some 700 Dutch nationals submitted claims via the bureau last week after their flights were cancelled or delayed following strikes by Ryanair staff, NOS said.

In the letter, Ryanair asks the organisation to advise passengers to get in touch with the airline directly. If it does not, the airline says it will ‘take all necessary measures’ to protect the contractual relationship with its passengers.

Ryanair has a claim formula on its website and states that all claims will be dealt with within 10 days.

However, EUclaim, which charges 29% of any payout plus a 26 admin fee per person, says passengers tend to turn to it for help after being turned down by Ryanair.

A spokesman for the Dutch consumers organisation Consumentenbond, which according to NOS works together with EUclaim, says the Ryanair letter is ‘shocking’. ‘We know that it is often very difficult for consumers to get justice,’ a spokesman told the broadcaster.

Under EU law, airline passengers are entitled to compensation if their flight has been delayed for more than three hours, ‘if the airline cannot prove that the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided by reasonable measures.’