The low-cost airline Ryanair and its former chief pilot are now going their separate ways. At the end of May 2023, the company received an anonymous tip pointing towards allegations of harassment. As part of internal investigations, several female pilots are said to have complained about the 50-year-old man. Now it rained the dismissal without notice.
The workforce was informed in a circular on Wednesday that the previous chief pilot had been dismissed with immediate effect. He also held a nominated person position, which is now being filled. According to the internal memo, the allegations, which are presumed innocent, are as follows: The manager and pilot have repeatedly engaged in inappropriate and unacceptable behavior towards a number of young female pilots in violation of Ryanair's anti-harassment policy. The low-cost airline made the decision as the “result of an investigation carried out in the last few days”.
According to a media report in the Irish Independent, the ball got rolling when someone anonymously complained to the designated department within Ryanair at the end of May. The complaint was not ignored, but an internal investigation was launched. In the course of this, eight young female pilots are said to have "opened the air" and confided in the company about their experiences. The statements are also said to have been supported by text messages that the now former chief pilot is said to have sent to them. The captain was also accused of changing the duty rosters so that he could fly with his "favorite ladies." The total number of allegations and evidence that the young pilots were able to provide was apparently too much for the management team led by Ryanair DAC boss Eddie Wilson, and they were dismissed without notice.
The man concerned, for whom the presumption of innocence applies, was a veteran of the low-cost airline. He has been working as a pilot for the low-coster since 1990 and rose to become chief pilot over the years and also held an important NP function.
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