Spanish Ryanair pilots accept reduced salaries

The Spanish pilot union SEPLA has agreed to Ryanair’s plans to reduce pilot salaries by 20 percent for the next four years. More than eighty percent of the affiliated pilots agreed to the pay cut. In return, the Irish low cost carrier promises to fire fewer pilots.

The employees also make concessions in terms of schedules and work patterns. They become “more flexible” and “more efficient”. “The fact that so many pilots are agreeing to the plans shows that they are willing to work with us to tackle the corona crisis,” said CEO Eddie Wilson.

At the same time, he finds it regrettable that no comparable agreement has yet been reached with the Spanish unions USO and SITCPLA for cabin crew. This puts many jobs at risk for the Spanish cabin crew, the CEO said.

The Irish budget airline announced this week that it would reduce its capacity by 20 percent from September onwards due to a drop in the number of bookings. Ryanair is mainly cutting the frequency of flights to destinations where the number of corona infections is increasing rapidly, including Spain.