Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara has said that Ryanair gate staff at Dublin Airport in Ireland discriminated against him and his family and behaved in a threatening manner.
Sangakkara made the claim in a post on his X account. He said the tone used by the staff, the mishandling of procedure and the threatening behaviour were unacceptable to any passenger.
He asked in the post whether other travellers had been treated in the same way by Ryanair gate staff in Dublin. He said he had faced it with his family and found it very upsetting, and that it was his first bad experience in Dublin.
The post did not set out in detail what happened at the gate, and Ryanair’s response was not included in the information available. The allegations have not been independently verified.
The post drew wide attention on social media. Many users said every passenger should be treated with respect at an airport.
Background
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline that operates a large number of short-haul routes across Europe, and Dublin is one of its main bases. Sangakkara captained Sri Lanka in international cricket and is one of the country’s best-known sportspeople.
What it means
Sri Lankans who travel through European airports, including those living abroad, can raise complaints about airline staff directly with the airline. Passengers in the European Union also have a right to complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the incident took place.
