Ryanair has launched legal action against a pilot who appeared in a Channel 4 documentary.
The no-frills carrier sacked John Goss last week after he took part in the Dispatches programme which raised questions about Ryanair’s safety record.
The airline went one step further yesterday (August 22) by launching a defamation lawsuit against Goss in Dublin’s High Court. Ryanair is also taking legal action against Channel 4 over the programme.
In a statement on Ryanair’s website, lawyer Paul Tweed of Johnsons, said: “Mr Goss has failed to provide Ryanair with any acceptable explanation as to why he, as “one of Ryanair’s longest-serving pilots” and “a former flight safety officer” appeared on the Dispatches programme which defamed Ryanair’s safety reputation, just weeks after he confirmed in writing that he had no concerns regarding Ryanair’s safety.
“In view of the extremely serious implications arising from Mr Goss’s comments, which have been extensively reported across Europe and worldwide as questioning Ryanair’s safety, Johnsons have been instructed to vigorously pursue this defamation action, with a view to obtaining total vindication from Mr Goss of Ryanair’s industry-leading safety which has been independently verified as being “on a par with the safest airlines in Europe”.”
The Dispatches programme alleged that the carrier puts pressure on pilots to carry the minimum fuel needed for a diversion. It detailed how on one occasion last year, three flights diverted from Madrid to Valencia had declared a fuel emergency before landing safely.
ryanair.com