Courts / Kerry / Report

O'Leary denies creating "culture of fear" at Ryanair

Date
2019-12-05

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Killarney

County
Kerry

Summary

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary denied creating a "culture of fear" among pilots during cross-examination in the High Court, where the airline is suing former Chief Operations Officer Peter Bellew. The hearing before Mr Justice Senan Allen concerns Ryanair's claim that Mr Bellew breached a 12-month non-compete clause by joining easyJet. Mr O'Leary rejected allegations of verbal abuse and a violent confrontation with a former employee, though he admitted using bad language. He also denied firing a German crew after a 2018 fatigue incident, stating the account was "completely untrue" and that Mr Bellew was not involved in such safety matters. Mr O'Leary accepted he warned Mr Bellew his job was at risk following a 2019 performance review but denied the executive was "a dead man walking." Ryanair seeks an order for specific performance of the contract and an injunction against Mr Bellew, of Killarney, Co Kerry. Mr Bellew denies any breach of contract and argues the clause is unenforceable. The matter is currently at the hearing stage and continues.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: O'Leary denies creating "culture of fear" at Ryanair. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

March 2019 Other
July 2018 Incident
2019-12-05 Publication

Why: In a claim denied by Mr Bellew, Ryanair says he cannot commence work with what it considers to be its main rival in the low fares aviation sector because of a clause in his contract of employment that prevents him from joining a competitor for a period of 12 months post his departure from Ryanair. CNI source report