IAA doing their bit???
IAA to probe flying hours records of Ryanair pilots
By Eamon Quinn
Dublin, Ireland, 25 August, 2002
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has appealed to Ryanair pilots to contact the authority if they feel they are in danger of exceeding the limit of permitted work hours.
The confusion over hours stems from the introduction of a new roster by the low-cost airline.
The airline industry regulator now plans to re-examine the documentation of all Ryanair pilots to determine if the switch to a new roster last April inadvertently meant pilots were working longer hours in any single rolling 12-month period.
Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, has denied that any of the company's pilots have flown more than the regulated hours due to the switch to the new roster, which was introduced with the pilots' agreement.
The IAA said it was concerned about British newspaper reports which cited worries over flying hours among some Ryanair pilots on the new roster.
"You can take it that we will be looking at all 360 pilots in Ryanair, just in case there have been breaches," said Denis Hegarty, the IAA's corporate policy director. "We certainly want to clarify with the company what the position is."
The IAA polices regulations prohibiting its 2,000 Irish-registered pilots from flying more than 900 hours in any 12-month period. The IAA was contacted last week by one Ryanair pilot who was concerned he would soon breach his 900-hour annual working limit.
The IAA said its rules stipulating the hours a pilot can work in rolling 12-month and 28-day periods and what constitutes a pilot's duty are identical to those of its British counterpart, the Civil Aviation Authority.
