The Irish Times reported on the case earlier this week as it unfurled at the Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin. According to the newspaper, the woman, named as Mónica Barbosa, joined Ryanair as cabin crew in 2008 and was based in Trapani, Sicily.
In June 2010, as she was receiving treatment for varicose veins and a skin condition, she applied for a transfer to a base in Faro or Oporto in Portugal, or Valencia, Spain.
By early 2011 the transfer had still not been granted so she took unpaid leave, being subsequently diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and, the newspaper reported, had cancer cells removed from her throat.
Speaking at the tribunal in Dublin Ms. Barbosa explained she then asked to be reassigned as a ground crew member because she had been advised not to fly on medical grounds.
A Counsel for the Irish low-cost airline said the company had offered Ms. Barbosa a job at airports in Dublin, Stansted and Marseille, or “any of a number of European bases”.
Ms Barbosa said she was limited to bases that had direct flights to Oporto in Portugal, where she was receiving medical treatment.
Recounting court proceedings the newspaper said Ms Barbosa had considered a job as a cashier in Stansted but had to reject it as she would have been working far from home if she got sick. She also turned Stansted down because she was worried about the danger to her health from colds and flu.
A Ryanair operations manager told the Tribunal that while airline has more than 6,000 crew members, around 18 per cent of whom are Portuguese, Portugal accounts for four percent of the airline’s business.
This, it was explained, resulted in many applications for cabin crew to transfer to Portugal – where Ryanair has three bases on the mainland, in Lisbon, Oporto and Faro – but few vacancies.
The company also said it did not have its own ground staff in Portugal, so there are no openings for ground staff there.
Tribunal chairman Joe Revington reportedly said the impasse did not seem “insurmountable”, and asked Ms Barbosa what position she would like in a redeployment situation. She replied that she would like a ground staff position in Portugal.
The hearing was then adjourned to allow for negotiations between the parties, but after a short break the chairman was told a settlement had not been reached.
Robin Kiely, Ryanair’s head of Communications, told The Portugal News “Ryanair does not comment on pending legal matters.”
In related news, it has emerged that Ryanair is planning to launch transatlantic flights, with claims that fares could start from less than €15.
According to reports this week, the Irish airline’s board has approved outline plans to fly between up to 14 European cities and the same number of US cities.
Destinations will include New York, Boston, Chicago and Miami from London Stansted, Dublin and Berlin. The services could start in four or five years’ time if the company can secure a deal to buy long-haul aircraft.
Ryanair said it was already in talks with manufacturers about purchasing long-haul aircraft but declined to provide further details.