Airline job cuts will be voluntary

AER Lingus chief executive Willie Walsh said the 102 redundancies being sought from ground-handling staff at Shannon Airport will be voluntary.

Speaking after the announcement of the airline's annual report for 2003, Mr Walsh said the redundancies were being sought as this part of its business in Shannon was dwindling. The ground-handling staff are Aer Lingus employees but carry out work for other airlines.

Mr Walsh said there had been a sharp reduction in its ground-handling business in the past few years as airlines moved to major companies like Servisair, which offer the service for cheaper.