Ryanair defends Davison press release

Ryanair is in the High Court defending a press release branding comments made by former Miss World Rosanna Davison "narrow-minded" and "elitist".

The model is suing the airline for libel over an online statement that said her remarks about the lack of Irish girls in Ryanair's 2009 glamour charity calendar "bordered on racism".

Ryanair's Head of Communications Stephen McNamara today told the jury he believes Ms Davison was silly to make negative remarks about a charity calendar.

The former Miss World was quoted in the Irish Independent saying if she had organised the shoot, she would have made sure Irish women were featured.

Mr McNamara said he stands by his online press release, not as an attack on Ms Davison but on her comments which he said bordered on racism and were narrowminded and elitist.

Under cross examination he denied Ryanair is a bully that can't take criticism and he called the model's remarks off colour for suggesting Irish people should be included ahead of others.

He said he believed as a model she would have been jealous of the newspaper coverage Ryanair's cabin crew were getting as a result of the calendar.

He denies that the press release implies she is racist.