Brokered with the Unite union, the new collective agreement – said Ryanair – would restructure cabin crew pay to speed up pay restoration.

The new terms also include upfront and annual pay increases, and "other pay and benefit improvements" for all UK-based cabin crew.

Over the next year, Ryanair plans to grow to 115% of pre-Covid capacity; it said prioritising job security for existing crew would be a key "foundation for growth".

Ryanair is currently recruiting for new cabin crew in the UK, as well as other roles as it seeks to create more than 2,500 new jobs and grow to 225 million annual passengers by 2026.

According to the budget carrier, crew will benefit from competitive starting pay and a fixed five days on, three days off roster.

It also has career progression at its core, Ryanair continued, with a view to helping crew progress quickly to senior cabin supervisor and training roles.

Darrell Hughes, Ryanair’s director of people, said: “This long-term agreement delivers stability, pay improvements, future pay increases, promotions and other benefit improvements for our cabin crew in the UK over the next three years, where we are currently recruiting for new cabin crew to support our continued growth to 225 million passengers by 2026."

Hughes added negotiations were ongoing on similar agreements with unions across Europe, including in Spain and France.