Ryanair’s outspoken boss has said that Ryanair will be forced to scrap a planned expansion of UK flights unless it is allowed to hire non-British flight attendants.

In comments reported in the Daily Telegraph, O’Leary attacked ‘insane’ post-Brexit rules that stop the company from hiring workers from other countries at its 13 UK bases.

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“The UK needs entry-level labour and young kids are no longer willing to do those jobs because there’s full employment,” O’Leary was reported as saying. “People don’t want to be cabin crew anymore. If they don’t, fine, let’s bring in Spanish or Italian or central European citizens.”

O’Leary then repeated a call for a trade deal that gives ‘maximum access’ to the European economy, which would include the free movement of  workers.

In common with many airlines worldwide, Ryanair required more staff as demand returned sharply in 2022-2023. The airline held a number of recruitment events around the country earlier this year. A new flight attendant could earn ‘up to’ £27,000 if sales bonuses are met.