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Ryanair flying high with fresh plans for 1,000 jobs
Ryanair is set to expand its fleet of aircraft, creating more than 1,000 jobs in the process. Picture: Getty
Ryanair is to create more than 1,000 jobs this year as it expands its fleet of aircraft, European bases and sales and engineering teams.
The Dublin-based carrier said it would be hiring pilots and cabin crew on the back of an expansion in the number of planes to 305 from 270. Its workforce currently numbers about 8,000.
The fleet expansion comes as the airline opens additional bases in Manchester, Cyprus, Denmark, Poland and Spain.
A spokeswoman for Ryanair said some of the jobs would be created in the UK though details are still being finalised. North of the Border, the airline has operations at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick.
The group previously outlined ambitious plans to almost double the number of passengers it carries and stretch its reach across Europe.
It posted profits of €544 million (£467.5m) in the six months to the end of September, an increase of 20 per cent, as a 13 per cent rise in average fares helped it offset a 37 per cent hike in fuel costs. The airline yesterday said its latest expansion comes as it expects traffic to grow from 76 million passengers in 2011 to 80 million this year.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s plain-talking boss, is reportedly aiming to increase passenger numbers to as much as 130 million over the next decade. This would make it one of the biggest airlines in the world.
The firm believes that higher fuel costs could work in its favour by forcing competitors to cut capacity and routes and drive demand for budget carriers.
Head of communications Stephen McNamara said: “Ryanair looks forward to another strong year of fleet and traffic growth in 2012 and we are proud to create over 1,000 jobs in Europe for pilots, cabin crew, engineers and sales and marketing people.”
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