The Ryanair Transnational Pilot Group (RTPG) has called for the airline’s management to “share the unprecedented economic success of the airline with its workforce”.
The RTPG, which is backed by union group the European Cockpit Association (ECA), shared a letter airing its grievances dated June 2, 2023, on its Twitter account.
Addressed to the ‘management’, the letter calls for pilots to be requited for “irrecoverable economic loss” during the COVID pandemic and the “constant loss of purchasing power during these last years”.
The RTPG says that at no time during recent years has the workforce been “compensated by the company”.
“This year again is going to be a record year for Ryanair in this climate of new markets for airlines, where demand far exceeds available capacity. Many companies have increased their pilot’s salaries or updated them in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) thus maintaining the purchasing power of workers,” the letter read.
The RTPG notes the airline’s increase in profits and passenger numbers, which “inevitably […] makes us a more effective tool for the company’s profitability”.
“Therefore, we believe that by sharing this increase in workload this benefit should also be equitable and therefore be compensated with the real engine of the company, the workforce,” the RTPG argues.
The RRPG suggests that the airline’s pilots feel forgotten and that it’s time for Ryanair to remember their “sacrifices”.
“We would like to remind you that our salaries are at the same pre-pandemic levels but in the face of unprecedented inflation we believe it’s time for the company to show the same loyalty and responsibility that the pilots collective showed to the company,” the letter reads.
It ends with the RTPG stating it is available for negotiations and is looking for improvements to bring Ryanair’s pilots “in line with the rest of their peers in the market”.
In May 2023 the Irish low-cost carrier group, which includes Ryanair, Buzz, Lauda, and Malta Air, published its latest financial results.
The carrier said it ended FY2023 with a net profit of €1.43 billion ($1.5 billion), despite ending Q4 FY2023 with a net loss of €154 million ($166.3 million).
The group carried 168.6 million passengers throughout the financial year, which is a 74% increase when compared to 97.1 million the previous financial year, with an average load factor of 93% (FY2022: 82%).
Revenues grew from €4.8 billion ($5.1 billion) to €10.7 billion ($11.5 billion) between FY2022 and FY2023, with operating costs rising during the same period, from €5.2 billion ($5.6 billion) to €9.2 billion ($9.9 billion).
AeroTime contacted Ryanair for comment.