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.”