Ryanair cabin staff supplier Crewlink returns to profit

Crewlink Ireland, a company that provides cabin staff for Ryanair, returned to profit last year on the back of a sharp rise in turnover, recently-filed accounts show.

The firm, which says it has more than 5,000 crew members currently registered with the Irish airline, reported pre-tax profits of €64,159 in 2015 as against a €17,416 loss a year earlier.

Full-year turnover increased by nearly 27 per cent, from €55.1 million to €69.8 million. The company recorded an operating profit of €82,706 versus a €1,100 loss in the prior year.

Revenue attributed to geographic markets outside the Republic of Ireland amounted to just 1 per cent for the year, with the company reporting Irish-derived turnover of €69.3 million, up from €52.2 million in 2014. European revenues fell from €2.8 million to just €575,310.

Crewlink is based in the Southern Cross Business Park in Bray, Co Wicklow, and is owned by Frank Whelan and Judy Byrne by way of a company called Occam Management Ltd.

Recruitment days

The group, which holds regular recruitment days across Europe, offers six-week training courses that can cost up to €2,900 (excluding accommodation) with an option for costs to be deducted from employees’ salaries during the first year of employment.

During the year under review Crewlink had four administrative staff and an average of 3,107 staff under the category “other”. This marks an increase from 2,571 employees recorded a year earlier.

Employee-related costs totalled €67.5 million last year, up from €51.7 million in 2014. Wages and salaries totalled €58.2 million, and pension costs were €108,146. This compares with costs of €45.5 million and €83,706 respectively in the prior year.

Consolidated accounts for Occam Management for 2014 show a pre-tax profit of €493,122, up from €233,139 in 2013.

Although Crewlink describes itself as "the leading recruiter" for Ryanair, a second company, Dalmac, a company headquartered in Rush, Co Dublin, that is owned by Fingal Language Institute Ltd, refers to itself as "the official recruitment and training partner" for the airline.

Fingal Language Institute, which is owned by Laura McCrudden and Ryan Moffat, had accumulated profits of €1.17 million in 2014.