LAST UPDATE | 28 Jun
AER LINGUS HAS cancelled an additional 122 flights next week due to ongoing industrial action by members of the pilots’ union.
It brings the number of cancelled flights to 392.
The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) began indefinite work-to-rule industrial action on Wednesday and will partake in all-out strike action on Saturday from 5am to 1pm.
In a statement today, Aer Lingus said it has taken the measure to cancel an additional 122 flights next week in order to “protect as many services as possible”.
“Aer Lingus has had to take the step of cancelling 122 additional flights over the course of Wednesday 3 July to Sunday 7 July, inclusive,” said the statement.
The airline said that these cancellations will be implemented today and details will be communicated to impacted customers.
Details of the services impacted are also set out on the ‘Travel Advisory’ page of the Aer Lingus website.
Impacted customers will be given the option to change their flights for free or can claim a refund or voucher.
These options will also be communicated directly to impacted customers, as well as travel agents.
Aer Lingus said it “fully understands the anxiety being experienced by customers given the uncertainty caused by IALPA’s industrial action” and that it is “giving impacted customers as many options as possible”.
The move by Aer Lingus comes amid an IALPA meeting today on whether to escalate its industrial action.
IALPA reps said that chances of an additional strike and further industrial action are high after talks in the 22-month dispute over pay broke down yesterday.
A spokesperson told The Journal yesterday: “The IALPA executive is considering a further work stoppage due to the companies clear escalation today by informing IALPA that it will unilaterally terminate the standing collective agreements, should IALPA not agree to amend them.
The pilots’ union is seeking a pay increase of 23.8% over three years, which it says is “clearly reasonable and affordable for a profitable company such as Aer Lingus.”
The union noted that in 2023, Aer Lingus had a full year operating profit of €225 million.
This was a 400% increase on 2022, when a full year operating profit of €45 million was recorded.
However, Aer Lingus has said it is willing to offer pay increases of 12.5% or above if “improvements in productivity and flexibility” are discussed.
Aer Lingus yesterday said that further strike action would be “entirely inappropriate given the request of the Labour Court this week that the dispute should not be escalated”.
Both IALPA and Aer Lingus attended separate meetings with the Labour Court on Tuesday, but the Court said it would not be intervening at this time and would review the matter in July.
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