European pilots have sought to counter concerns that Ryanair is ­ramping up the transfer of hundreds of jobs to countries less welcoming to unions.

The president of the European ­Cockpit Association (ECA), a body that represents more than 38,000 pilots from national associations across 36 countries, has told The Sunday ­Telegraph that Polish pilots want to be “part of the movement” against ­Ryanair.

The low-cost carrier has already ­signalled its intention to transfer a fifth of its Irish fleet to Poland this winter – a country with limited pilot union representation – as part of a dispute over pay and working conditions that has now spilt over across multiple ­European ­jurisdictions.