Ryanair Holdings agreed to pay 40,000 pounds ($A65,000) to a pilot sacked for distributing trade-union literature to cabin crew during a flight, the British Airline Pilots' Association said today.
Captain James Anderson filed an unfair dismissal claim after he was fired by Ryanair, Europe's biggest discount airline, for "gross misconduct" following the incident. The case was settled prior to an employment tribunal hearing in London.
"We regard this as a significant victory, as a wonderful result," John Stembridge-King, Balpa's head of organization, said outside the hearing.
Ryanair had said that Anderson, 45, endangered passenger safety by handing the leaflets to flight attendants while the plane was en route from London's Stansted airport to Majorca. Balpa said it planned to tell the tribunal the plane was on autopilot, and that it was safe for the pilot to talk with crew.
Dublin-based Ryanair said it's "very pleased" with the settlement, which was equivalent to less than one day of legal fees when it had expected the hearing to last three days.
"We wish our former pilot every success for the future," Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara in an e-mailed statement.
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