LONDON: Ryanair said Tuesday it has signed an agreement with the British Airline Pilots Association that formally recognises a pilots' union for the first time.
"This is the first formal union recognition agreement Ryanair has signed," a spokesman for the Irish no-frills airline told AFP following news of the deal.
It comes after the Dublin-based carrier, which has suffered turbulence in recent months from aggrieved staff, announced earlier this month that its UK-based pilots had accepted pay increases of up to 20 percent.
Ryanair's head of personnel, Eddie Wilson, welcomed the move to formally recognise the union.
"The fact that we have delivered pay rises of up to 20 percent and union recognition for our pilots in our largest market, shows how serious Ryanair is about working constructively with unions that are willing to work constructively with us," he said.
- Flights cancelled-
Ryanair suffered a troubled end to 2017, with it forced to cancel 20,000 flights through to March this year, mainly because of botched holiday scheduling for pilots.
The fiasco triggered pilots' demands for better working conditions and representation, with some departing for other carriers.
The discontent also saw Ryanair hit by its first-ever strike by pilots, with German staff staging a short stoppage ahead of Christmas.
BALPA welcomed news that it will be recognised as the sole trade union for Ryanair's 600 employed pilots that are based in the UK.
The voluntary recognition deal will see the union's representatives involved in future negotiations on hours, holidays, pay and rostering.
"Given Ryanair's previous hostility towards unions, today's agreement is an historic one," said BALPA general secretary Brian Strutton.
"While we were initially sceptical about Ryanair's sincerity in offering recognition to us and other unions, our conversations and meetings with them have shown that they are genuine in wanting a constructive trade union relationship."
The news comes after Ryanair said in December that it would also recognise an Irish pilots' trade union, Impact, in a bid to resolve the long-running row.
Ryanair's decision to move towards trade union recognition marks a historic turning point for the company.
Outspoken chief executive Michael O'Leary -- in charge since 1994 -- had vehemently opposed any union representation for staff.
However, he came intense pressure to change his stance after the airline was forced to cancel thousands of flights for the winter season between November 2017 and March 2018.
- 'Major strategic change' -
Independent aviation analyst John Strickland described Tuesday's announcement as "a major strategic change for Ryanair".
He told AFP: "The pilot flight cancellations have been a major catalyst with pilots seizing their key moment to negotiate and Ryanair recognising that something had to change.
"Pay increases and union recognition still leave them with much lower costs than competitors."
The turmoil comes as the European aviation sector also continues to face turbulence from Brexit.
Ryanair decided earlier this month to apply for a British operating licence in case Britain leaves the European Union next year without an aviation deal.
Other airlines have made similar moves amid concerns that Brexit could severely disrupt air traffic between Britain and continental Europe.
Britain's airline industry has soared over the past two decades under the Single European Sky system, which lifted trade restrictions on EU airlines.
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