Minister wants Ryanair answers

RYANAIR has been asked by French Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier to clarify pilots’ allegations of security failings just a day after the budget airline sacked one of the pilots concerned.

The minister has asked the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile to speak to its Irish counterparts, who oversee the safety of Ryanair’s flights, to investigate the truth of the claims.

He said that air regulations meant Ryanair was a safe company but added in a statement: “Such practices, if they were confirmed, would be of great concern and reveal a violation of the regulations.”

Pilot John Goss said in a Channel 4 TV programme Secrets from the Cockpit, that pilots were wary of revealing safety concerns while other anonymous pilots raised concerns about the airline's fuel policy.

Mr Goss, who has been a pilot with Ryanair for 26 years, was sacked for making “defamatory” comments on the airline’s attitude to safety. The company said it would not allow an “employee to defame our safety on national television just three weeks after he confirmed in writing to Ryanair that he had no concerns with safety”.

Ryanair defended its 29-year safety record and said: “Both Ryanair and the Irish Aviation Authority operate confidential safety reporting systems which allow any Ryanair pilot with any legitimate safety concerns to report these in complete confidentiality – without any fear of reprisal – either through Ryanair’s confidential system or the IAA’s independent and confidential system.”

Unofficial pilots’ union Ryanair Pilots Group criticised the company saying Ryanair had promised to legally protect pilots who took part in the Channel 4 programme, but added: “The pilot who freely identified himself on the programme, and spoke about the general lack of confidence by pilots in the broader regulatory system, has suffered instant dismissal.

“It is simply extraordinary that the immediate reaction of Ryanair to safety issues brought to their attention is to deny the existence of any problems and to effectively shoot the messenger.”

Earlier this summer French publisher Altipresse released a book by a Ryanair pilot accusing the company of putting passenger safety in danger. The pilot, writing under a pseudonym, said in Ryanair - Low cost mais à quel prix? / Ryanair – Low cost but at what price? that Ryanair is flying too close to safety limits.

See our previous article here Ryanair accused over flight safety

Photo: Christian Lacombe