The French government has asked the DGAC, its aviation authority, to consult with the Irish and UK authorities over allegations made about Ryanair in a television documentary.
French transport minister Dominique Perben yesterday issued a statement acknowledging that Ryanair doesn't require special authorisation from the French authorities to fly, but said the consultation was justified because the airline has a solid presence in France.
The ministry did point out however that Ryanair's planes were checked 33 times last year and three times so far this year by DGAC inspectors, and that no serious anomalies had been found. Ryanair operates flights from several French airports to the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Sweden.
Ryanair appears to have emerged relatively unscathed from Monday evening's Dispatches documentary programme on Channel 4, which alleged the airline has been lax concerning safety rules. Analysts were doubtful about any harmful impact on the travelling public, while the airline denied any untoward practices and launched a three-million free seat sale.
Shares in Europe's largest low-fares operator rose seven cent yesterday, closing at €7.77.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said the body hadn't identified any security issues following the programme, which featured two undercover reporters working as Ryanair cabin crew, and revealed several incidents including cabin crew sleeping on board flights and complaining of fatigue.
The IAA spokeswoman said the authority stood by the comments it made before the programme that it had no concerns that Ryanair had breached safety standards. A spokesman for the civil aviation authority in the UK said that assessing the airline's safety record was a matter for the Irish authorities and that it would not be looking into any issues raised by the programme.
Irish stockbroker NCB yesterday issued a note to investors reiterating its buy recommendation on Ryanair stock, saying concerns regarding the television programme were overdone. This opinion was backed up by Stephen Furlong, an analyst at Davy, who in a note to investors said he expects demand for Ryanair flights to remain high.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary also issued a statement on the airline's website insisting it operates to the "highest safety standards in Europe".
Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Crawley said yesterday the airline is planing major expansion in Germany over the next two years, with the addition of more routes and two new bases, as well as the expansion of its only existing German base, Frankfurt-Hahn.
He said the development was part of an overall plan to increase its passenger count to 70 million by 2010 from around 35 million this year.
