“Recognising unions will be a significant change for Ryanair, but we have delivered radical change before,” O’Leary said in a statement. “We hope and expect that these structures can and will be agreed with our pilots early in the New Year.”

The company said it was now urging the pilot unions to call off the threatened industrial action next week “so that our customers can look forward to travelling home for Christmas without the threat or worry of pilot strikes hanging over them.”

However, should the pilot strike take place it would be the first ever in Ryanair’s history.