The low-cost airline Ryanair has announced that the UK pilots have approved a contract to restore pay to pre-pandemic levels.
The Irish airline claimed that the agreement, which was reached with the British pilots’ union BALPA, covers pay restoration and will result in wage increases through 2026.
“While the recovery from the impact of the pandemic is still ongoing and our industry faces significant challenges, this long-term agreement delivers stability, accelerated pay restoration, future pay increases, and other benefit improvements for our UK pilots,” People Director Darrell Hughes, said in a statement on June 30, 2022.
Ryanair recovered from the pandemic more quickly than other European airlines, and this year it anticipates operating at 115 percent of pre-COVID capacity. It said that in order to “keep jobs secure and provide a platform for growth,” it is giving its employees’ payback top priority.
Ryanair made the decision to retain personnel during the epidemic, although at a lower pay rate. Hughes stated that the airline was negotiating new contracts to restore compensation with pilots and unions across Europe.
“While 100% of our pilots across our European network are covered by 2020 Emergency Agreements, we continue to work with our pilots and their unions on new deals, similar to this one concluded with BALPA, and have successfully re-negotiated improved long-term agreements with 70% of our pilots, running until 2026 or 2027 as we prioritize pay restoration,” Hughes concluded.
