Ryanair demands repayment from dozens of cabin crew members in Spain after a Madrid labour court annulled a wage agreement the airline had signed with a local union. The affected flight attendants now face repayment requests of up to €3,000 each.

The controversy began last year when Ryanair reached a wage deal with Spain’s CCOO union. The agreement granted salary increases to all cabin crew in the country, regardless of which union they belonged to. However, a rival union, Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), challenged the validity of the deal, arguing that CCOO was not authorized to negotiate on behalf of USO-affiliated members.

In March 2025, the Madrid court ruled in favor of USO, declaring the agreement invalid. As a result, Ryanair has begun seeking repayment from employees who received wage increases under the annulled deal. Letters sent to affected staff show individual repayment amounts ranging from €1,500 to €3,000 to be recovered in monthly installments over the next year.

In a statement, Ryanair said: “USO are complaining about pay cuts that result from their own court case. Ryanair is complying with the judgment while it is under appeal.”

USO criticized the move, calling it “punitive,” and said it is exploring legal options to stop the claw-backs. “We warned all parties that the original negotiations were irregular,” said a union spokesperson. “Now Ryanair is deducting five months of wages from our members’ pay.”

The airline’s actions have sparked anger among the affected crew, many of whom are now facing unexpected financial burdens. Ryanair has since reached a new pay agreement with CCOO-affiliated staff, who will retain their raises and are not being asked to return any money.

While Ryanair appeals the court decision, the repayment plan remains in effect, highlighting growing tension between airline management and cabin crew unions in one of Europe’s busiest aviation markets.