Racism row Ryanair’s profits plunge by 7% Garda alert over illegal firework rise
Budget carrier hit by flyer backlash earns €1.2bn in six months
Fireworks GARDAI have confirmed a spike in the illegal trade in fireworks, with a knock-on impact on emergency services.
Last year saw the highest number of firework seizures in five years – 183 compared to 132 in 2016 and 92 in 2015.
Rockets linked to the raids were valued at €5,330, although many did not have a recorded value.
At the same time, antisocial attacks on Dublin Fire Brigade crews were at their highest in four years and they reported an increase in anti-social behaviour last Halloween.
A spokesman told RTE three people have already been hurt by fireworks this year, including a teen girl who suffered life-changing injuries in Co Cork. People on long trek RYANAIR recorded a 7% fall in half-year profits – just days after it faced a backlash for not removing a racist passenger from a flight.
The drop to €1.2billion for the six months up to September 30 comes after a weekend of controversy when the thug who hurled abuse at the disabled woman was not kicked off the aircraft by staff.
The company attributes the 3% fall in “average fares” to “excess capacity in Europe, an earlier Easter and repeated ATC strikes and staff shortages”.
However, passenger numbers rose from 72.1 million to 76.6 million.
Ryanair boss Michael O’leary said he could make further cost-saving measures. He added: “We cannot rule out further base closures or capacity cuts this winter if oil prices rise or air fares fall further.
“Our traffic, which was repeatedly impacted by the worst summer of air traffic controller disruptions on record, grew 6% at an unchanged 96% load factor.
“This full-year guidance remains heavily dependent on air fares not declining further [they remain soft this winter due to excess capacity in Europe], the impact of significantly higher oil prices on our unhedged exposures, the absence of unforeseen security events, ATC and other strikes and the impact of negative Brexit developments.”
The airline was blasted over the weekend after a man was filmed by a fellow passenger calling a woman an “ugly black b ***** d” – as well as shouting “don’t talk to me in a foreign language, you stupid ugly cow”.
The budget airline has now said the man has been reported to Essex police.
The row apparently broke out after the elderly woman was unable to move out of her aisle seat quickly enough to let the bully sit down in his window seat.
It shows the man shouting at her while her daughter tries to stand up to him, telling him her mother is disabled.
He replies: “I don’t care whether shes f ****** g disabled or not – if I tell her to get out she gets out. If you don’t go to another seat, I’ll push you to another seat”.
Crew appealed to the yob to calm down and asked the elderly woman if she would like to be moved while other passengers call for the man to be removed.
milion passnengers used Ryanair in the past six months
Michael O’leary