O’Leary under fire

AVIATION regulator Bill Prasifka has hit back at the Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, saying his claims were intemperate, ill-informed and unconstructive.

In a letter to Mr O'Leary, who has repeatedly launched swipes at Mr Prasifka, saying his office was a waste of taxpayers' money, the regulator has rejected many of his claims. He said the outspoken Ryanair chief's comments were ill-informed and unconstructive.

"Your consistent refusal to engage this office in formal consultation at the appropriate times and opportunities is particularly unhelpful. I propose to address the issues you raise in your letters in this context."

One of the issue of airport charges, Mr Prasikfa said the airline, like every other carrier, had been given a chance to make their cases. "Here, you continue to express your dissatisfaction at the levels of airport charges at the Aer Rianta airports.

However, when given the opportunity to make a submission to the commission on the levels of airport charges at the time of the review in November 2003, Ryanair failed to make a timely submission."

And the attack on Mr O'Leary did not stop there.

Mr Prasifka wrote: "Ryanair's complete failure to meaningfully engage the commission in its statutory duties, or to even attempt to understand the statutory basis of the commission, has had the effect of denying the commission the opportunity of addressing Ryanair's concerns in the only way it is able to do so in its formal statutory consultation processes."

The letter is likely to inflame the stand-off between the regulator's office and Mr O'Leary.