Capt. Erik Sparks, Chair of ALPA’s Ryan Master Executive
Council, said the union had been cooperating with
management and creditors until the end to save the
airline, which laid off hundreds of employees and
slashed its aircraft fleet in recent months after losing
a series of charter contracts it held with the US
government. At the time of the shutdown, the airline had
only three aircraft and 51 active pilots, with
two-thirds of the pilot group already furloughed.
“…
announcement is the culmination of a series of bad
management decisions made over the past two years. But
our pilots can hold their heads high knowing that we
always flew with safety and professionalism, and did
everything possible to preserve our jobs,” Sparks said.
“Our airline may be gone, but our union endures. We will
work even harder to ensure that Ryan pilots can keep
flying, hopefully for other ALPA carriers.” Through
ALPA’s Furloughed Pilots Support Program (FPSP), the
Ryan pilots will continue to receive assistance from
ALPA, including admission to job fairs, employment
opportunities, and unemployment benefit information.
“Our members at Ryan should know that their national
union is here to support them,” said ALPA President
Capt. Lee Moak. “We will spare no effort to protect
their employment rights and continue the advancement of
their aviation careers.”
|