This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has told Chris Grayling to “get off his backside” and strike a deal with the EU to avoid flights being grounded by a no-deal Brexit, in a swipe at the transport secretary’s overtures to individual countries.

O’Leary, who has transformed the no-frills airline into Europe’s largest during his 25-year tenure, referred to Grayling’s efforts to convince 27 EU member states to prepare bespoke aviation deals with the UK.

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He said such a plan was “doomed to failure”, adding that “Chris Grayling has had no assurances from the EU that planes will continue flying” after 29 March 2019, the official Brexit date.

A deal would eventually be thrashed out in the event that flights to and from the Europe ceased, he predicted, because politicians would be forced to respond to public anger.

“Even Jacob Rees-Mogg and some of the crazier wing of the Brexiteers will struggle to explain why there are no flights to Europe,” he added.

“Many of them have holiday homes in Europe.”

But he said Grayling should “get off his backside” in the meantime to ensure an EU-wide agreement that prevents flights being grounded at all.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We believe that it is in the interests of both sides to ensure continuity – but it is only sensible to prepare for a range of scenarios.

“That is why, as the [European] commission will not yet engage with the UK on contingency planning, we have proposed bilateral conversations with member states to discuss arrangements we could put in place to ensure continued air connectivity.”

In his wide-ranging remarks O’Leary also admitted making “mistakes” in his handling of strikes by cabin crew and pilots but vowed to put up with more industrial action if necessary.

Ryanair was forced to cancel 20,000 flights last year amid staff rostering problems and industrial disputes in several countries.

O’Leary, who waived a €1m (£890,000) bonus over the resulting flight cancellations, conceded he should share some of the blame for the disruption, which has tested Ryanair’s reputation for reliability.

“I need to improve my own performance,” he said, adding: “Clearly we’ve made mistakes […] with the unions.”

But he also refused to back down in the face of further industrial action, including large-scale walkouts planned by cabin crew later this month.

He said Ryanair was “willing to accept strikes” to avoid a rise in costs that might force it to raise fares, vowing that the airline would not “roll over like easyJet every time we’re threatened with a strike”.

He accused the unions of promising members “motherhood and apple pie and 70% of the virgins in paradise” but insisted staff were well paid. “We won’t bend over because they threaten us with strikes,” he added.

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O’Leary made his remarks during a presentation of the airline’s summer schedule, including a new base at Southend, two more aircraft at Luton and 23 new routes.

He said the expansion would take to 26 million the number of customers a year travelling through London airports, predicting that continued growth would see Ryanair overtake easyJet as the airline with the most UK passengers in the next 12 to 18 months.