Ryanair has warned 900 staff members that their roles are at risk, including the jobs of low cost airline’s pilots and flight attendants. A leaked internal video to staff, revealed by Bloomberg, saw Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary claim that the budget airline had an “excess” of 500 pilots and 400 flight attendants. The statement also suggested that the cuts would be made around September and again after Christmas, and that another 600 jobs would be at risk next year. Cuts announced in video sent to staff The video was sent to staff following the release of the company’s financial results for the three months running up to June this year. However, a spokesperson for Ryanair told The Sun that "900 current staff could be impacted" but that the number of 1,500 jobs at risk was "falsely reported". Ryanair is currently making other changes, including the removal of routes and closure of bases. The cuts are a result of falling earnings, as well as the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max jets. This means that only 30 of the 58 aircraft ordered by Ryanair for next summer are due to arrive. Fewer seats available next year The reduced number of aircraft and staff could mean that the number of seats offered by Ryanair next summer falls to five million less than were available this year, and fares could increase, too. The affected routes have not yet been confirmed. Passengers flying with Ryanair in the near future could face disruption as staff intend to strike in response to the cuts announcements. Ryanair cabin crew in Portugal are set to strike for five days in August in a dispute over pay and conditions, the SNPVAC union said on Wednesday (31 Jul).
