Pilot torn between Ryanair’s rules and obeying regulations

A DANISH pilot felt he had to choose between following regulations set by the Irish Aviation Authority and rules issued by Ryanair in deciding not to operate a return flight that would have required him to work in excess of daily safety limits, an Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin heard yesterday.

Former Ryanair pilot, Paul Christiansen claims he was wrongfully fired by the airline for not accepting a demotion arising out of the incident.

However, Ryanair claims Mr Christiansen was sacked for gross misconduct after he subsequently refused to attend both a simulation training exercise linked to his demotion and a meeting to investigate his initial refusal to fly the plane.

The pilot was rostered to operate a return flight between Skavsta (Stockholm) and Beauvais (Paris) followed by a return flight from the Swedish airport to Basel in Switzerland on October 30, 2007. The entire schedule was due to be completed in 11.5 hours.

The EAT heard that IAA’s regulations generally restrict pilots to flying a maximum of 12 hours per day.

Johan Gauermann, Ryanair’s former base captain at Skavsta, gave evidence that he was contacted by Mr Christiansen from Beauvais over his concern that a half-hour delay on his first flight of the day meant he couldn’t complete the second return journey within the 12-hour limit.

Mr Gauermann said Ryanair’s position on its flying time limitation scheme was very clear and he informed Mr Christiansen that he could legally operate the first leg of the Skavsta-Basel flight without breaching the limit.

The EAT heard that the pilot notified Ryanair that he was sick without any further explanation after arriving back in Skavsta.

Cross-examined by Michael Landers of the pilots’ union, IALPA, Mr Gauermann acknowledged that there had been confusion among Ryanair pilots about the issue of taking off on the first leg of a return journey if the second leg could not be completed within the 12-hour limit. However, he claimed Ryanair had issued a memo earlier in 2007 to clarify the matter.

Darrell Hughes, Ryanair’s deputy director of personnel, said 636 passengers had been affected by Mr Christiansen’s refusal to operate the Skavsta-Basel flight.

The EAT heard that the aircraft completed the two return flights in 12 hours and 23 minutes. Ryanair’s barrister, Martin Hayden SC said the journey would have been completed in less than 12 hours if Mr Christiansen had notified Ryanair of his difficulty while in Beauvais giving the airline time to organise a replacement crew.