Around 400 Ryanair cabin crew and pilots could be forced to take one week of unpaid leave as the airline cuts flights out of Dublin and Stanstead this winter.
The budget airline has asked staff at the two airports to volunteer to take an extra week’s holiday between November and February. The unpaid leave will be imposed on employees if insufficient numbers apply by November, costing staff an average of 1,150 Euros (approximately £849) each in lost earnings, based on an average salary of €60,000 (£47,000).
A spokesman for Ryanair said: “We have grounded a number of our crafts at Dublin and Stanstead due to the high costs charged by both Dublin and Stanstead. Because we have reduced the number of flights going from Dublin and Stanstead, it reduces the number of crew required also.”