AER LINGUS HAS confirmed that it will be cancelling 120 flights scheduled for Saturday 29 June, due to a pilots’ strike being called for the same day.

A spokesperson for Aer Lingus said that this will impact up to 15,000 passengers on short haul services. They said that long-haul services will be rescheduled to to avoid cancellations.

The airline has also confirmed cancellations for the week leading up to the day of the strike, between Wednesday 26 June, to Sunday 30 June.

In total, over 240 flights have been cancelled for that week.

The airline said they are automatically rebooking some flights, and have begun to email customers to inform them of their options.

Passengers have the option of changing their flight free of charge, requesting a refund, or availing of a voucher with the airline.

The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) announced a full strike yesterday, to occur on Saturday 29 June, as part of a dispute over a sought after pay increase.

However, no agreement has been forthcoming between the sides as of yet.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime programme, IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said that it appears to him that the company has moved away from negotiations completely and is instead attempting “a union bust”.

In a statement, Tighe said: “We have been forced to escalate this dispute following a campaign of antagonism by Aer Lingus management directed toward our members.

“Rather than meeting with IALPA for direct negotiations to resolve this dispute, the airline is sending letters to IALPA threatening to cut members’ terms and conditions by unilaterally terminating collective agreements.”

The company said the most up to date information on IALPA’s industrial action can be found on the ‘Travel Advisory’ page on the Aer Lingus website, at aerlingus.com.

Regional flights operated by Emerald Airlines are unaffected by the industrial action.