Aer Lingus pays Mueller €1.24m in his final year

Former Aer Lingus chief executive, Christoph Mueller, was paid almost €1.24 million in his last year in the airline's top job.

Mr Mueller left the Irish company in February, after six years at the helm, to become chief executive of Malaysia’s state airline.

The Aer Lingus annual report shows that he earned €1.236 million in 2014, his last full year as its chief executive.

The figure is 19 per cent less than the €1.52 million he received in 2013, news of which sparked an outcry from workers facing a cut in their pension benefits.

A large number of shareholders, including the State, which owns 25 per cent of the airline, voted against the package at the Aer Lingus annual general meeting in May last year.

The “say on pay” motion only passed by a 0.001 per cent margin at a meeting marked by a workers’ protest.

The figures in the annual report published on Thursday show that in 2014 Mr Mueller received €475,000 in basic salary and fees, a €523,000 bonus, a €190,000 pension contribution and €48,000 in “other benefits”.