A court in Aix-en-Provence has ruled that Ryanair has broken French labour laws in relation to flight crews operating from its Marseille base and has been fined €8m. The airline intends to appeal the ruling. The court ruling claims that the airline failed to make required social insurance and pension contribution payments between 2007 and 2010 for staff that were permanently stationed at the Marseille base and living locally. Ryanair however stated that it believed it had been operating in Marseille under Irish law.
“These people were employed on Irish contracts, operating on Irish registered aircraft – defined as Irish territory – and have already paid their taxes, social taxes and state pension contributions in Ireland, in full compliance with Irish and EU regulations,” the carrier said.