Last spring, ministers had promised to give the CAA enforcement power to compel carriers to refund consumers who had booked directly and who could not legally travel because of Covid restrictions. These consumers were not legally entitled to a refund as the flight was not cancelled.

In April, the Department for Transport said it would give the CAA powers to force carriers to refund. A statement said the move would “further boost consumer confidence”.
 
The government said then the CAA’s powers to act on airlines that had breached consumer rights would be strengthened and a dedicated consultation on how to use additional tools to enforce consumer rights was expected to follow later this year.

However, aviation and maritime minister Robert Courts has now indicated there will be no new powers.

Courts revealed the about-turn in a written answer to MP Ruth Cadbury, who asked the DfT if it would review the CAA’s statutory duties.

In his reply, Courts said the CAA’s role evolved over time “as parliament sees fit to confer new functions on it”, but added:  “Due to the significant impact that the Covid-19 crisis has had on both our aviation industry and the CAA, we do not consider it appropriate at this time to review the statutory duties of the CAA overall.” 

TTG has approached the DfT and CAA for comment.