RYANAIR HAS SAID it will cancel 16 flights in and out of Ireland on Tuesday if trade union Fórsa doesn’t call off a planned strike.

In a statement released earlier today the airline urged Fórsa, which represents Irish pilots, to call off its third 24-hour stoppage, scheduled for 24 July.

Ryanair said the industrial action involves less than 25% of its Irish pilots.

In a letter sent to Fórsa’s National Secretary Angela Kirk, Ryanair’s Chief People Officer Eddie Wilson wrote that Fórsa “committed to getting back to Ryanair as to how this matter could be resolved” following a meeting yesterday, but hadn’t yet contacted the airline.

“It is unacceptable that 24 hours later we have had no response from Forsa, and find ourselves with a threatened third day of strike action next Tuesday,” he wrote.

Wilson said that unless Ryanair heard back from Fórsa by 7pm today, it would issue cancellations tomorrow for the 16 flights in question.

He added that affected passengers would be accommodated on other flights.

TheJournal.ie has contacted Fórsa for comment. Members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association, a branch of Fórsa, went on strike last Thursday and have announced plans to do the same tomorrow and on Tuesday.

In a separate statement, the airline said that over 85% of the 50,000 customers whose flights on 25 and 26 July were cancelled due to a strike by cabin crew members in Belgium, Portugal and Spain have been re-accommodated on alternative flights, or applied for full refunds.