RYANAIR CHIEF executive Michael O'Leary yesterday issued a tongue-in-cheek apology to Ictu general secretary David Begg for comments he made on Today FM's The Last Word programme on Thursday in relation to the union leader's pay as a non-executive director of Aer Lingus.

"I sincerely apologise to David Begg that I quoted the wrong figure last night (Thursday) in a radio interview," Mr O'Leary said. "Upon mature reflection I now accept that David Begg's non-executive director's fee at Aer Lingus is €45,000, not €75,000, and is 1½ times, not twice, the average industrial wage."

In the same statement, Mr O'Leary went on to launch a scathing attack on Mr Begg. "Since Mr Begg has his snout firmly buried in the directors' fee trough at Aer Lingus, perhaps he should be included among the fat cat directors he's so fond of criticising."

In response, Mr Begg told The Irish Times: "I'll have to take that up with him. He's missed the essential point - the essential point is that I don't receive that money myself. This is just stirring it up even further."

Mr Begg added that the fee he receives from Aer Lingus is handed over to Ictu, which uses it for "general purposes".

"I surrender that money to Congress," he said.

Mr Begg said he had approached The Last Word, which is hosted by Matt Cooper, to seek a correction, but had not sought an apology from Mr O'Leary. Today FM yesterday corrected Mr O'Leary's claim.