RYANAIR have been accused of breaching European safety guidelines on Covid-19 aimed at reducing the risk of the virus spreading.
The low-cost airline have allegedly been providing their staff with inadequate protective equipment such as face masks, while other accusations claim they don't have the required amount on board every flight.
On Wednesday, Spanish pilots' union USO released a statement saying that Ryanair has done very little to protect its staff and its customers from the spread of coronavirus, and described the company as "reckless".
"There is a lack of ‘There is a lack of adequate protective equipment for its [Ryanair] workers, to whom they provide a simple surgical mask for days over 12 hours, when its use is limited to four before being discarded," the statement read.
"In addition, none have spare face masks on board as advised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
"Likewise, Ryanair informs the workers that, although the use of masks is mandatory for users of public transport in Spain, it is not on board the place, inviting passengers to change seats in case a person refuses to put it on."
There are now a number of new safety requirements in place for airline staff and customers to adhere to in order to fly.
According to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), "airport operators, aircraft operators and service providers/suppliers should provide the necessary PPE to their staff members and ensure that they are trained in its appropriate use.
"Although passengers should have been reminded to have a sufficient supply of face masks for the duration of their journey, aircraft operators should have a sufficient number of face masks on board to provide to passengers, especially for long-haul flights where the need to replace them may be advised by national public health authorities."
Gustavo Silva, general secretary of the USO Ryanair section said: "They [Ryanair] put not only people’s health at risk, but also the sustained economic recovery in phases according to the steps requested from Health. It is a reckless attitude."
