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(CNN Business) -
Britain's antitrust regulator is investigating whether Ryanair and British Airways broke the law by refusing to reimburse customers for flights they couldn't legally take during coronavirus shutdowns.
In a statement Wednesday, the Competition and Markets Authority said airlines may have violated consumers' legal rights by rejecting cash refunds on flights that were made during periods of covid-19 shutdowns.
In many cases, carriers offered coupons or the option to rebook.
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During the coronavirus lockdowns, the UK government made it illegal to travel abroad for non-essential reasons.
These restrictions were lifted on May 17, although the government still advises against travel to certain countries.
"While we understand that airlines have been through difficult times during the pandemic, people should not unfairly run out of money for complying with the law," said CMA Executive Director Andrea Coscelli.
"We believe that these people should have been offered their money back," he added.
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The regulator said it would seek to resolve its concerns with Ryanair and British Airways, which is owned by IAG, before enforcing consumer protection legislation through the courts.
"Ultimately, only a court can decide whether a violation has occurred," he added.
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Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost airline, said in a statement that it paid refunds in "justified cases."
"Since June 2020, all of our customers have also had the ability to rebook their flights without paying an exchange fee and millions of our UK customers have made use of this option," he added.
A British Airways spokesman said the airline has "acted legally at all times."
"We have issued more than 3 million refunds and help millions of our customers change their travel dates or destinations," the spokesperson added.
"It is incredible that the government is trying to further punish an industry that is on its knees, after banning airlines from meaningful flights for more than a year."
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