Ryanair has welcomed a report by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) exonerating the carrier of flying with too little fuel following a series of emergency landings in Spain.
However, two of the IAA report’s three recommendations require Ryanair to review its procedures and training.
The report followed three emergency landings by Ryanair aircraft diverted to Valencia during bad weather on a single day in July.
It concludes the aircraft “in all three cases departed with fuel in excess of Flight Plan requirements”, but that “diverting with fuel close to minimum diversion fuel in the circumstances . . . was likely to present challenges for the crew”.
The report recommends Ryanair “review fuel policy and consider guidance to crew with respect to fuel when operating into busy airports”.
It also suggests Ryanair “consider including scenarios similar to those occurring on the flights” as part of crew training.
The report recommends Spanish air traffic authority AESA review delays into Madrid “to consider if additional fuel should be recommended”.
The IAA is now investigating jointly with AESA a separate incident involving Ryanair at Madrid on September 16.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary welcomed the IAA report’s findings and invited Spanish authorities to inspect its operations in Dublin “in order to put an end to the false claims in misinformation in the Spanish media”.
On Monday, a leading official of the Spanish pilots’ union Sepla, accused Ryanair of “courting disaster” with its fuel policy.
Juan Carlos Lozano told Spanish radio: “They are operating on the very limits of legality. The executives send instructions to the crew emphasising that for every x kilos of fuel they pump the airline loses x amount of money.”