On Tuesday, 14 June, Ryanair Chief People Officer Darrell Hughes released a staff memo mentioning that the airline’s chief pilot was dismissed with immediate effect due to “a pattern of repeated inappropriate behaviour” towards female junior pilots”.
“We regret to advise all of you that last evening we terminated with immediate effect the employment of the Ryanair DAC Chief Pilot”, read the statement. “This decision follows an investigation over recent days which identified a pattern of repeated inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour towards a number of female junior pilots, which was in breach of our anti-harassment policy.”
The memo did not give a name, but mentioned the chief pilot was appointed in 2020. Media outlets have deduced that the person in question is Aidan Murray, who was listed as Ryanair’s chief pilot in the airline’s 2021 annual report. According to Reuters, the LinkedIn page for Aidan Murray no longer exists and with no email or phone number listed for Murray, the agency was unable to contact him.
According to the Daily Star, someone anonymously reported Murray for grooming four female junior pilots two and a half weeks ago, which prompted the investigation into the pilot’s behaviour.
Although suspicions for Murray’s identity seem well supported, the speculations are yet to be confirmed by either Murray himself, the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) or Ryanair. A spokesperson for the airline said they do not comment on queries related to individual employees.
“We are determined to ensure that all our people can come to work in a safe and secure environment. We would ask all of you to respect the privacy and integrity of those brave individuals who came forward to assist us in this investigation”, the memo stressed.
