Ryanair weighs pay freezes and crew cuts as fuel costs climb
Original report:
Ryanair is reviewing pay, staffing and AI use as it forecasts a €2bn increase in its annual fuel bill. Unite says its existing wage agreement covers 2027 and should be honoured, while the airline warns of higher European fares.
Ryanair is considering temporary pay freezes, fewer crew on flights and wider use of AI to counter rising fuel costs linked to the Middle East conflict. The airline forecasts its fuel bill will increase by about €2bn in the financial year ending March 2028. Chief executive Michael O’Leary said higher short-haul fares were unlikely to cover the full increase.
Unite said it had received no proposals and expected its multiyear pay agreement, covering 2027 and independent of company performance, to be honoured. O’Leary said some labour agreements face renegotiation from March. Ryanair is also slowing recruitment of pilots and cabin crew, while targeting operational and administrative productivity through AI.
Fuel hedging is central to the airline’s cost pressures. Ryanair says 80% of its fuel needs through March are hedged at $67 a barrel, compared with 25% at $95 for the following 12 months. That reduced coverage underpins its warning about rising costs as existing industry hedges expire.
Source
the Guardian — 2 November 2026
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