Ryanair slates Panorama ‘hatchet job’

RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary believes the BBC’s investigative Panorama programme is to broadcast a “hatchet job” on the Irish airline tonight.

“BBC Panorama know that they have no case in this hatchet job programme. We have already rubbished their false claims about hidden charges and an agreement with Airbus.

“It is a pity that Panorama, with all their resources, investigative journalists and the power of the BBC, were not honest enough to agree to a live or an unedited interview with Ryanair, which would have provided Panorama’s viewers with balance and facts, instead of Panorama’s false claims and fiction,” Mr O’Leary said yesterday.

Ryanair has accused the BBC’s Panorama programme of “bias and censorship”.

Ryanair issued a statement before the broadcast of a Panorama documentary called, Why Hate Ryanair? The programme interviewed passengers and former employees.

Producers declined Ryanair’s offer of an unedited interview with Michael O’Leary, the company said.

Panorama’s claims about the airline “are rubbish and don’t stand up to scrutiny”, Stephen McNamara, Ryanair’s Dublin-based spokesman, said in a statement.

The programme is scheduled to go out on BBC1 tonight at 8.30pm.

“We wanted to interview Michael O’Leary, but he wanted editorial control and that is something no broadcaster would agree to,” Sheryl Holland, a BBC spokeswoman, said.

And it also emerged yesterday that Ryanair could use a potential acquisition of Aer Lingus as a vehicle to buy Britain’s BMI from Deutsche Lufthansa, Ryanair’s chief executive was quoted as saying yesterday.