Ryanair says it’s completed a five-year pay deal with pilots at all 76 of its bases across Europe and is in the process of concluding a similar arrangement with its remaining cabin crew.

Ryanair didn’t provide any pay figures, but The Irish Times reports this morning that the pilots deal involves a 10% increase over the five year-period.

The paper says that it has seen contracts for captains which offer a basic annual salary of €62,500 - although the airline has told Newstalk that its pilots can earn up to €150,000 per annum.

Ryanair said that details of its pay agreements are confidential and that it will not be offering further details.

The company's 'chief people officer,' Eddie Wilson said the airline has "been working hard behind the scenes to negotiate and conclude improved pay and condition deals for all our frontline teams."

He continued, "The fact that Ryanair is continuing to use our improving financial performance to improve the pay and conditions of our frontline people underlines the long standing success of Ryanair’s collective bargaining model, which continues to deliver improved pay and conditions as well as job security for our pilots and cabin crew."

Reaction

Ryanair has had fallings out with a number of trade unions and employee associations across Europe - including the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association.

It’s President, Captain Evan Cullen has been critical of Ryanair’s statement and negotiating process, he says the agreement relates to less than 50% of all 2,800 pilots in Ryanair, as it does not apply to contract workers.

He says that the company's “confusing statement” reaches a “a new low in misrepresenting the real situation” - and that pilots are still trying to establish “normal industrial relations” with the airline.

"There is no 'collective agreement' for all pilots - there are 75 separate agreements, one for each Ryanair base," he continued, adding, "Elected representatives of all pilots in Ryanair remain ready and available to engage in normal and meaningful collective bargaining on behalf of all pilots in Ryanair, and not just a small minority of pilots that Ryanair chooses to engage with."