56However, and taking into account not only the objective referred to in recital 1 of Regulation No 261/2004 to ensure a high level of protection for passengers, but also the wording of Article 5(3) of that regulation, reliance on such an extraordinary circumstance presupposes that there is a direct causal link between the occurrence of that circumstance which affected a previous flight and the delay or cancellation of a subsequent flight, which is for the national court to determine in the light of the facts available to it and taking into account, inter alia, the way in which the aircraft concerned is operated (see, to that effect, judgment of 11 June 2020, Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, C‑74/19, EU:C:2020:460, paragraph 54).
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