Yes.
Ryanair pilots are doing more than 900 hours 'in any 12 calendar month period'
Ryanair pilots are doing more than 900 hours 'in any 365 day period'
Ryanair pilots are doing more than 900 hours a year however you want to measure it.
It is true that before 1st April anyone who went over the 900 hours 'at the end of the previous month' was given the next month off.
This rule has been ignored since 1st April 2002, when they 'zeroed the clock' and only applied the 100 hours in 28 days rule.
If you decide you are not prepared to go over 900 hours and point this out to Management you are asked if you are refusing to fly. If the answer is yes, this goes on your record. 3 refusals and your fired. You can take them to Court for unfair dismissal, but to date no-one has had the balls to, because the law isn't exactly clear on the pilots responsibility verses that of the Operator. And no fired pilot, who will probably now never be able to fly professionally again, has the resources to fight Ryanair over a point of Avaition Law, to prove unfair dismissal.
JAR Ops hasn't exactly been forward in clarifying it. Ryanair's excuse to the IAA has always been that it has not been administratively practical or realistic to monitor any individual pilots hours 'in any 12 calendar month period', although in this day and age of computer technology, this is just a convenient excuse, and last year allowed Ryanair to roster over 900 hours mid month.
Thus the IAA have accepted the Operators responsibility of ONLY monitoring an individual pilots hours at the END OF THE PREVIOUS MONTH. Thus it is feasible for a pilot to GO OVER the 900 hours mid month and the Operator (Ryanair) have exempt themselves from prosecution from the IAA. IE the pilot is illegal, but the Operator isn't. Stinks of double standards, doesn't it?
This has now worsened since 1st April, as now pilots have gone over 900 hours at the end of the previous month, and not been given the next month off. This, arguably, is a breach of the Operators responsibility, but the IAA have STILL DONE NOTHING.
The IAA as VERY aware of the situation. They have had countless phone calls from petrified Ryanair pilots. All the IAA tell them is that they cannot fly more than 900 hours in any 12 calendar month period. However when told they are being forced to, the IAA HAVE DONE NOTHING TO STOP RYANAIR DOING IT.
Since April, 3 pilots have now resigned, in the main, over this issue.
It will be interesting to see what happens in Feb/March 2003, but I suspect they will, by then, be ignoring the 900 hour rule completely and keep rostering flights, based on the 100 hour in 28 days limitation only. Roll on 1200 hours a year....
I want to know what the IAA are going to do about it.
This issue is extremely political. It is worth $$millions to the likes of Ryanair, and MOL, and is worth him going to Court over.
The IAA also know this, so if they actually do do anything, it is going to end up in Court.
BUT THIS DOES NOT ABSOLVE THEM OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.
As I know every Ryanair pilot will tell you... It is difficult to know what to do, when you are placed between a rock and a hard place, and in this case the rock is the IAA, and the hard place is Ryanair. There will only be one looser...