'I won't apologise to nobody' - Ryanair CEO defends decision to buy homes for staff

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has defended the company's decision to buy 25 new houses close to Dublin Airport for use by cabin crew members.

In his first public comments since details of the purchase in Swords emerged earlier this month, Mr O'Leary said he does not regard it as a big issue or something that he or the airline should be apologising for.

"Out cabin crew would be among the lower paid staff we have - a pilot can rent anywhere, they are well paid and cabin crew seniors are well paid -  the new arrivals start on the lowest level of pay and we have to have affordable accommodation for them," he told Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1.

"I would apologise to nobody for it - our first job here is to look after our passengers and our second job is to look after our staff and if anybody else wants to whinge about it they can but one of the other 32,555 house that were built (across Ireland) last year," he added.

Mr O'Leary explained that staff at Ryanair are happy to pay rent and have no difficulty doing so, but that there is a problem finding suitable accommodation near Dublin airport.

"If you are renting in Citywest and you need to report to Dublin Airport at 5 O'clock in the morning for an early shift, there is no (public) transport - the issue here is we need to have affordable accommodation adjacent to the airport so our people - particularly the crews who have to report early in the morning or who get in late in the evening during the summer - have reasonable and easy access to that accommodation," he said.

Mr O'Leary confirmed that Ryanair has bought 40 units of accommodation (apartments and houses) in Swords, Co. Dublin which amounts to around 140 bedrooms.

"I am nothing but proud of it," he said, adding that workers who avail of the accommodation receive a discounted rental rate for the first year but pay 'market level' rates after that.

"What we're able to do now is to facilitate rental properties that are just one bus stop from Dublin Airport. So it's easy and adjacent to the airport for our cabin crew," he said.