Bankrupt Mexican carrier Interjet ordered to pay $7 mln in class action suit

MEXICO CITY, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Mexican airline Interjet, which was declared bankrupt by a judge in August, has been ordered to pay out 144 million pesos ($7.23 million) to thousands of clients in a class action lawsuit, the country's consumer protection office said Friday.

The ruling is a win for fliers who faced flight cancellations, delays and unjust charges from 2018 to 2020, the prosecuting office known as Profeco said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Interjet did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Interjet abruptly stopped flying in 2020, and the carrier's union has since been protesting for what they allege amounts to months of unpaid wages and benefits.

Interjet's outstanding payments are suspended until a March deadline, by which it is required to reach a deal with its creditors, according the August bankruptcy ruling.

Other affected passengers will have until next October to join a second phase of the class action suit, Profeco said. ($1 = 19.9090 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Kylie Madry, Editing by Sarah Morland and Lincoln Feast)