AIRLINE passengers who claim they suffered psychological injuries after their holiday flight crash landed yesterday won a major victory in their battle to sue Thomson Holidays.

The Britannia Airways Boeing 757 was carrying 235 passengers from Cardiff when it was forced to land in a field in Gerona in a heavy thunderstorm on September 14 1999.

In a hearing yesterday at Cardiff county court Judge Graham Jones ruled that the passengers, including several from Gwent, did not have to prove Britannia Airways was negligent in crashing flight BY226A.

His ruling removed the final obstacle in the way of the passengers being paid compensation by tour operator Thomson for their psychological injuries.

He ruled Thomsons was liable to pay compensation up to £85,000 without the need for passengers to demonstrate that Britannia Airways was negligent.

After the hearing, passengers Marion and Terence Bowden, from Bettws, Newport, said: "We are relieved it is over and hopefully we can move on and maybe draw a total line underneath it."

Lisa Edwards, 34, from Blackwood, and Catherine Allaway, 34, from Ynysddu, were travelling together with their children for a holiday to Calella when the plane crashed.

Ms Edwards said: "It has been a long time and I am still suffering four years later. I am pleased with the judgement but it is always going to be there."

Another passenger, Marion Strickland, 58, from Allt-Yr-Yn, added: "I still have answers I want to know what happened and why but you've got to try and move on. I have flown since but it was terrible."

John Rees, a solicitor with law firm Hugh James, was appointed by the head of civil justice at the High Court in London to represent all the 73 passengers in the group litigation.

Speaking after the case he said: "We are now in a position to determine the level of compensation appropriate for each claimant and bring this case to a close."

Mark Harvey, Hugh James partner and travel lawyer, added: "Our clients are still living with the scars of the crash landing, through no fault of their own."