Ryanair has forecast flight woe way beyond the current set of strikes as it suggested huge “damage” to the budget airline. Pilots for the budget company in the UK are currently in the midst of a walkout today, and tomorrow. Michael O’Leary’s firm managed to prevent similar disruption occurring in Ireland yet it is Brexit, not the strikes, which are causing longer-term fear for the cheap flight firm. In a statement released yesterday, Ryanair hinted at the woes to come – with speculation jobs could be lost due to the uncertainty of the UK’s departure from the EU.
Ryanair said: “Ryanair regrets the decision by less than 30 per cent of our highly paid UK pilots to vote for strikes on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd August, in support of unreasonable pay demands that Captains pay be doubled from a current £170,000 p.a. to over £375,700 p.a.”
The telling comment came after, as it followed: “Just nine weeks before BREXIT, which could severely damage Ryanair’s business and UK pilot jobs.”
It did not go into any further detail of what damage – whether financial or otherwise – it was referring to.
It also did not place a figure on the number of pilot jobs under the spotlight.
Ryanair’s pilots in the UK are again set to cause disruption for British holidaymakers in their dispute over working conditions and pay, as they walkout on September 2, 3 and 4, in the action again organised by Pilots’ Union, BALPA.
Meanwhile, staff in Spain are also set to stage a series of strikes throughout September in protest at job losses.
Express.co.uk previously reported on troubled times to come for Ryanair, after they released recent figures.
In this, the airline confirmed “its and closures” which would be enacted in the aftermath of Brexit.
Ryanair will scale back flights during what is the busiest holiday period of the year, with the reduced flight routes starting from as early as this winter.
Ryanair made its stark announcement in a press release which revealed the amount of purse-friendly summer 2020 breaks would be cut – in devastating news for UK holidaymakers looking for a cheap and easy getaway, with the hand luggage restrictions recently clarified.
The cutbacks centre on uncertainty over the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft deliveries during winter 2019 and summer 2020.
This has forced the airline to “revise” the summer 2020 schedule based on 30 aircraft, with growth rate cut to three per cent from a previous forecast of seven percent.
The “base cuts and closures” will therefore see the firm transport 157million guests in the forecast growth for the year, compared to original expectations of 16 million.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: “Ryanair now hopes to receive its first MAX200 aircraft sometime between January and February 2020.
“Since Ryanair can only take delivery of between six to eight new aircraft each month, we are now planning our summer 2020 schedules based on taking up to 30 B737 MAX aircraft deliveries up to end of May 2020.
“This is less than the 58 MAX aircraft Boeing originally scheduled to deliver for our summer 2020 schedule.
This number could rise, or fall further, depending on when the B737 MAX actually returns to flight services.
“For planning purposes, Ryanair will now revise its summer 2020 schedule based on 30 incremental aircraft, rather than 58.
“This will cut Ryanair’s summer 2020 growth rate from seven per cent to three per cent, and means full year traffic growth for the year to March 2021 will be cut from 162million guests to approx. 157million.
“This shortfall in aircraft deliveries will necessitate some base cuts and closures for summer 2020, but also for the winter 2019 schedule.
“We are starting a series of discussions with our airports to determine which of Ryanair’s underperforming or loss making bases should suffer these short term cuts and/or closures from November 2019.