Ryanair has been ordered to pay €8 million in fines and damages by a French court. The company has been found to have breached labour laws there.

The violations are said to have taken place between 2007 and 2010. Ryanair says it will appeal the ruling.

The majority of the fine relates to alleged non-payment of social insurance and state pension contributions in France for Ryanair crews flying to/from Marseille.

The airline says this is despite the fact that these people were employed on Irish contracts, operating on Irish registered aircraft.

In a statement, Ryanair says it believes there is "a clear contradiction between current EU employment regulations under which these Irish workers paid their taxes and social taxes in Ireland, and the 2006 French decree, which seeks to require airline crews operating in Ireland to pay social taxes and pension contributions in France, despite the fact that they have already paid them in Ireland".

Ryanair spokesman Robin Kiely said "Since all of our people operating to/from Marseille between 2007 and 2010 have already paid their social taxes and pension contributions in Ireland, in full compliance with Irish and EU employment regulations, we do not believe that either Ryanair or our people can be forced to double pay these contributions a second time in France".