The carrier, which flies to 33 destinations from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, blames the relatively low number of female pilots compared to those in cabin crew for the discrepancy. Tony McDonough reports

New data shows budget airline Ryanair has the worst record for paying men less than women in the entire UK aviation sector.

The carrier, which flies to 33 destinations from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, has revealed a gender pay gap of 72% with women making up the the quarter of earners at the company.

It blames the relatively low number of female pilots compared to those in cabin crew for the discrepancy. Pilots are paid far higher salaries.

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Ryanair is based in Dublin in the Irish Republic but it employs 1,182 people in the UK and has revealed its gender pay gap under new Government rules. Median hourly pay among the UK workers is 71.8% lower for women.

Its gap is far worse that its main Liverpool rival easyJet which has revealed a gender pay gap of 45%.

Most of Ryanair’s UK staff are pilots and cabin crew. Out of its 554 pilots, just eight are women. However, women make-up two-thirds of cabin crew. 

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In a statement the airline said: “Like all airlines, our gender pay in the UK is materially affected by the relatively low numbers of female pilots in the aviation industry.

“In recent years, the number of female pilots applying to Ryanair has increased and we are committed to developing this welcome trend.

“It is a feature of the aviation industry that more males than females choose to enter the pilot profession.”