Two Aer Lingus employees have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a €18 million human smuggling ring.

The operation was uncovered after the Special Detective Unit the Garda National Immigration Bureau discovered that Aer Lingus employees were smuggling immigrants into the country through Dublin airport, according to the Independent.  

Ryanair have taken the opportunity to take a shot at the rival airline, posting a series of tweets that most Twitter users found to be in poor taste. 

Making light of the controversy, the first tweet says that their seats are "cheaper (and more comfortable) than Aer Lingus' catering truck."

This comes after sources told the Independent that each person wishing to be smuggled into Dublin can pay anything between €10,000 and €30,000 to be helped enter the country illegally. 

Another tweet shows a mock-up of an Aer Lingus catering trolley with human hands and feet sticking out.

The captions reads "Smart Immigrants flies Aer Lingus."  

The tweets have caused outrage online, with people claiming that Ryanair have gone too far with their notoriously tongue-in-cheek communications.Some have even branded the tweets "racist."

Labour leader Brendan Howlin also weighed in on the controversy, tweeting: “Unbelievably cheap shot from Ryanair. Low standards, made simple.”

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "While everyone loves our low fares, our social media posts may not cater to all tastes."

The two Aer Lingus employees, along with the man being smuggled, will appear in court today.