Ryanair crew supplier’s turnover soars to €83m
TURNOVER at the company Ryanair uses to hire cabin crew rose to €83.2m last year from €69.9m a year earlier as it reaped the benefits of the carrier’s expanding fleet and passenger numbers.
Dublin-based Crewlink employed more than 3,600 people at the end of last year compared to 3,107 a year earlier, according to accounts for 2016 just filed. It paid €68.3m in salaries last year.
Crewlink is owned by Frank Whelan and Judy Byrne. Before setting up Crewlink in 2003, Ms Byrne held various roles including as head of HR at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The accounts for 2016 show that Crewlink Ireland made a €33,449 loss in 2016 compared to a €10,000 profit in 2015.
But the figures mask the real profitability of the company however, which for Mr Whelan and Ms Byrne is generated through Crewlink’s parent firm, Occam Management which provides services to Crewlink.
The latest account for Occam Management haven’t yet been filed but accounts for 2015 show it made a €125,000 profit that year, compared to a €425,000 profit in 2014.
Ms Byrne and Mr Whelan were paid a total of €350,000 by Occam Management in 2015, compared to €659,000 in 2014.
The latest set of Crewlink Ireland accounts show that its administrative expenses soared to almost €3.4m last year from €2m a year earlier as the number of cabin crew it employed increased.
The company is holding about 16 recruitment days across Europe for Ryanair this month, in cities ranging from Seville and Madrid, to Porto, Naples, Bologna, Rome and Timisoara.
Once accepted for a cabin crew position and before commencing training at Crewlink’s Frankfurt-Hahn training centre, candidates pay a €500 registration fee to confirm their place and the €3,000 course training fee is then deducted from their salary.
A €700 fee for accommodation must be paid three weeks before starting the training course.
Alternatively, candidates pay a €500 registration fee, a reduced course fee of €2,400 paid in whole by the candidates rather than it being deducted from their wages, and the €700 accommodation fee. The €500 non-refundable payments cover the cost of manuals and other material. Candidates who fail training are refunded their course fees.
Last month, Ryanair reported that its profits after tax in its last financial year rose 6pc to €1.31bn. Revenue was up 2pc at €6.6bn.