Ryanair has defended its handling of volcanic ash refunds as it emerged it is the only Irish airline with a large number of claims outstanding.
While the carrier has paid all ticket refunds, half of all expense claims for hotels and subsistence costs remain to be paid.
Ryanair said it has prioritised the flight refunds but processing of expense claims will take until the end of the year.
The airline says the volcanic ash disruption cost it €50m overall.
When the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted on 14 April, European airspace was closed for six days and partially closed again in May.
12 million passengers across Europe had their flights cancelled and airlines took a massive financial hit.
The Commission for Aviation Regulation has said it is satisfied that all the Irish airlines are responding adequately in issuing refunds relating to the disruption.
Aer Lingus has completed all ticket claims and 95% of expense claims at an estimated cost of €10m. Flight cancellations cost the airline another €10m in lost revenue.
Cityjet and Aer Arann have processed all refunds.
The Commission is also dealing with 200 complaints per week from passengers who are not happy with their refunds. This represents a four-fold increase.
New measures designed to minimise the disruption caused by such events came into force on 18 May.
The Irish Aviation Authority and the UK's Civil Aviation Authority jointly agreed a new fly-zone that will allow aircraft to fly closer to ash clouds.
The decision was made on the basis of data collected from aircraft engines in the weeks after the volcano first erupted.
