RYANAIR is bringing the Irish Independent newspaper and one of its reporters to court over recent reporting on its pay talks with pilots.
The Irish airline has been negotiating with a number of pilots in recent weeks after a dispute over rotas saw hundreds of flights cancelled between September and October this year.
Ryanair is listed as plaintiff in a case against Independent News & Media plc – which owns the Irish Independent – as well as business reporter John Mulligan.
The case is to be heard at the High Court in Dublin, according to the Journal.
In a separate case, Ryanair is taking defamation action against Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG) founders Evert Van Zwol, John Goss and Ted Murphy.
Ryanair allege that RPG sent an email to pilots in 2013 that was “untrue and defamatory”.
The email – which had the subject title “Pilot Update: What the markets are saying about Ryanair” – is alleged by the airline to have misled investors, by innuendo or insinuation, and knowingly facilitated insider dealing.
The defendants deny defamation and say the words in the message do not mean what Ryanair claim they do.
In court yesterday, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary denied he once described pilots as "overpaid underworked peacocks" in 2012.
He added that Ryanair pilots enjoy “the best job security of any pilot in Europe”, especially after the recent collapses of Monarch and Air Berlin led to many of their pilots applying to the Irish carrier.
When contacted for comment, a Ryanair spokesperson said they do not comment on pending legal cases.
