French to probe Ryanair after UK TV safety allegations
Despite receiving assurances from the Irish and UK aviation authorities, allegations of safety breaches by a UK television documentary have led to low fares carrier Ryanair being investigated in France and possibly other European countries.
The French transport ministry has requested the dossiers compiled by the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) in the light of the programme Ryanair: Caught Napping, aired by the UK's Channel 4 network earlier this week. The documentary alleged the low fares carrier had poorly-trained, ill-rested and demoralised staff, leading to safety and security breaches.
The ministry issued a statement following the airing of the documentary saying it will base its investigation on CAA and IAA findings. Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said earlier this week that these dossiers vindicated the carrier, showing only minor breaches, in common with mainline airlines.
The French government is under political pressure to reduce the growth of low fares carriers in the country, which is seen as threatening the dominance of national carrier Air France. Other European countries' authorities are also likely to follow suit and ask to view the dossier, which is standard practice in information-sharing between European aviation authorities.