Ryanair Axes Captain John Goss After 26 Years

Captain John Goss is on the one hand a past hero of the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA). On the other the now jobless Captain Gross is for Ryanair an insubordinate liar who seems dead set on defaming the Ireland based budget airline.

Gross was just summarily dismissed by Ryanair after 27 years (in October) for his part in the now famous Channel 4 documentary on airline safety. The only pilot to be identified so far from the documentary, Gross expressed his concerns on Ryanair’s safety culture, as well as his doubts as to the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) handling of safety issues where the budget airline is concerned.

Michael O’Leary‘s industry leading airline has made a big name for itself in offering low airfares. These most recent concerns over flight safety reflect an overall growing sentiment that continual price slashing simply has to, as some point, adversely affect safety. Gross and the Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG), evidently contend this point has already been reached.

Ryanair has said they will sue Channel 4 for airing the documentary, and not the airline says they’ll also sue Captain Goss for his allegedly defaming remarks against the airline’s practices. The head of RPG, Evert Van Zwol,  came forward recently to explain that Ryanair’s people are very reluctant to come forward with genuine complaints out of fear of reprisal. Recent concerns became more heated last July when three Ryanair aircraft were forced to make emergency landings in Spain out of fear the planes did not have sufficient fuel.

For Ryanair’s part, the airline has flown tens of millions of miles without acute indication the budget carrier is any less safe than competitors. Despite all these allegations, Ryanair stocks have only dipped slightly since the allegations started.

Ryanair is represented by Edelman PR (Ireland).