Ryanair has struck a four-year collective labour deal with pilots in Ireland in a bid to ward off further strikes.
The agreement, made with Irish pilots’ union Forsa, will deliver a new pay structure to pilots along with a fixed roster until 2024.
The no-frills carrier confirmed in a stock market update that it had accepted the recommendations of independent mediator Kieran Mulvey on a four-year agreement to cover all its directly employed pilots in Ireland to 2024.
“Ryanair will now implement the terms of this collective labour agreement, which will deliver a new pay structure along with a fixed 5/4 roster for the next four years,” the carrier said.
Pilots working for the airline in Ireland joined UK colleagues by threatening strike action over two days in August in a dispute over pay and conditions.
However, the walkout in Ireland was blocked after Ryanair took the issue to the high court in Dublin.
The labour deal came as it emerged in an internal memo that Ryanair does not expect to take delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max until September or October at the earliest.
The 737 Max has been grounded since March last year following two crashed killing a total of 346 people.
The ongoing delay in the aircraft gaining approval by regulators to return to service is threatening jobs and bases at Ryanair because of the postposed delivery date of its first ten 737 Max aircraft.
Ryanair had originally planned to have 58 of 737 Max aircraft in its fleet by this summer.