Ryanair's British pilots vote for pay cuts as bookings rise

Fleet: Ryanair has operated a skeleton service since lockdowns were imposed. Photo: Reuters

Alistair Smout and Conor Humphries

Ryanair's British pilot union yesterday said its members had voted by 96pc to accept temporary pay cuts and avoid job losses.

The British Airline Pilots Association said Ryanair had notified it in May that 330 pilot jobs were at risk, and the vote to accept a 20pc pay reduction would save 260 of those jobs.

The union added that the future of the remaining jobs was linked to the possibility of base closures, and had yet to be resolved.

Ryanair reported "very strong" bookings from holidaymakers as it relaunched its network with 1,000 flights yesterday, the start of a summer that group CEO Michael O'Leary hopes will restore Europe's confidence in air travel.

Europe's largest low-cost carrier has been flying a skeleton service since the Covid-19 pandemic closed down much of Europe in March. It was set to fly 105,000 passengers yesterday, almost as many as it flew in April and May combined.

Mr O'Leary, one of the loudest advocates for a reopening of European air travel from Covid-19 restrictions, said he was hopeful that the airline could go from 4.5 million passengers in July to as many as 6 million in August, around half its normal level.

"It's a good start," Mr O'Leary said after the first 150 flights took off on time with all passengers wearing face masks.

"If we have a strong July and August with lots of families travelling on holidays, and recognising they can do it safely, I think we will see a much more stable return to normal volumes from September onwards," he said.

Critics say that a return to widespread tourism in Europe could reverse major progress in tackling Covid-19.

Former health minister Simon Harris said yesterday that he found himself "shouting at the radio" when another Ryanair executive said it was safe to travel despite the Government advising against it.

Mr O'Leary said bookings for the first couple of weeks of flights in July were "very strong" with August "reasonably strong". September and October were a bit weaker at the moment, he added, as people wait to see how the situation develops.

Ticket prices have been weak for the summer and are likely to remain so.

Elsewhere, Ryanair has said it may cut up to 3,000 jobs among pilots and cabin crew, but Mr O'Leary said he is "reasonably hopeful but not confident" it could agree pay cuts and changes to work practices to avoid most of the cuts.

Some unions in continental Europe "are sticking their heads in the sand", he said.

Reuters