Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) announced a new share buyback scheme valued at EUR750 million (USD929.5 million) during its quarterly earnings release on February 5.

The announcement comes as the Irish LCC's net profit for the nine months from April to December 2017 rose by 11% to EUR1.4 billion.

However, Ryanair simultaneously warned investors that they should expect further turbulence related to labour disputes. The LCC decided to recognise unions for the first time late last year after scheduling errors led to several shortages of pilots. This, in turn, forced Ryanair to cancel some 2,100 flights between mid-September and the end of October 2017, as well as significantly cut down on growth plans for Winter 2017/18.

"As we finalise union discussions along similar lines to that agreed in the UK, we expect some localised disruptions and adverse PR so investors should be prepared for same," the carrier said in a release.

Ryanair had previously said it also sees union recognition as an opportunity to grow in France and Scandinavia, two regions where it had earlier seen strong resistance from local labour organisations.

The carrier also revealed it expects to receive an air operator's certificate (AOC) for its British unit Ryanair UK by September 2018. It applied for an AOC in the UK in December last year in a move seen as a mitigation of the unforeseeable outcome of the Brexit in March 2019.