Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary clashed this morning on Irish talk radio with the producer of a television show set to air tonight on UK alleging the Irish carrier of safety lapse due to overworked staff.

Ahead of the broadcast of the Dispatches documentary Ryanair: Caught Napping on the UK's Channel 4 network at 20:00 tonight, O'Leary went onto Irish national broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTE) to discuss the allegations with the documentary's producer Steve Boulton.

Ryanair used its own website over the weekend to counter the programme's allegations that the carrier's staff were tired and compromised safety. O'Leary said he had a letter from the UK Civil Aviation Authority backing up his point of view that safety has never been an issue for the low fares airline.

Boulton said the programme looked at three main areas: training of cabin crew; cabin operations; and the attitude of Ryanair staff to the travelling public.

External links:
Listen to Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Irish low fares carrier Ryanair on RTE's Morning Ireland refute allegations of safety lapses

Source: Flight International