A former pilot for Ryanair has been paid £40,000 in an out-of-court settlement two years after he was sacked for passing fellow crew members trade union leaflets during a flight.

Ryanair sacked Captain James Anderson on the grounds of gross misconduct for his actions as it claimed Anderson had endangered passengers, however Anderson said it was only a brief exchange while the aircraft was on autopilot and there was a co-pilot present which did not breach policy.

The British Airline Pilots Association described the out-of-court settlement as a “significant victory”.

BALPA general secretary Jim McAuslan said: “We regard this as a significant victory. As a professional association representing all commercial airline pilots, BALPA is proud to support each and every member, whichever airline they fly for.”