Aer Lingus cancels flights amid further travel disruption

The news of today's disruption follows the cancellation of 13 Aer Lingus flights on Sunday.

Mon, 27 Jun, 2022 - 09:33

Emma Taggart

Aer Lingus has cancelled one flight today from Dublin airport due to ongoing strikes as well as an outbreak of Covid-19 among employees.

The news of today's disruption follows the cancellation of 13 Aer Lingus flights on Sunday.

The Irish airline apologised for the cancellations.

In a statement issued to the Irish Examiner, Aer Lingus said: "This weekend, system pressures from ATC strikes, and ongoing issues at airports and among third party suppliers have regrettably necessitated the cancellation of some flights."

"This pressure on the system has been compounded by a spike in Covid cases among our own teams in the last number of days," it added.

Airlines and airport operators have struggled with staff shortages to handle the flow of passengers as demand for travel bounces back with the end of most Covid-19 restrictions. Workers at several airlines, including British Airways and Ryanair, are also planning strikes this summer.

Less than 2% of Ryanair flights scheduled between Friday and Sunday were affected by cabin crew strikes, the Irish low-cost carrier said.

Ryanair cabin crew unions in Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France and Italy had announced plans for action over the weekend with crews in Spain set to strike again on June 30 and July 1-2.

"Less than 2% of Ryanair's 9,000 flights operating this weekend (24/25/26 June) have been affected by minor and poorly supported crew strikes," Ryanair said in a statement.

Unions have said the Irish airline does not respect local labour laws covering issues such as the minimum wage and have urged management to improve working conditions.

"Conditions are terrible," said Ricardo Penarroias, president of SNPVAC, the union behind Portugal's walkout. "A crew member is not even allowed to take a bottle of water on a flight."

Ryanair, which told Reuters last week it had negotiated labour agreements covering 90% of its staff across Europe, says it offers staff competitive and fair conditions. It has said it does not expect widespread disruption this summer.