With just 10 days to go before a strike grounds up to 28,000 of its passengers, Aer Lingus has denied cabin crew claims they are having to work 60-hour weeks and accused them of trying to double their paid leave.

The board of Aer Lingus has backed recommendations made by the Labour Court last week, aimed at resolving its pension deficit woes and avoiding industrial action.

Aer Lingus carried 5.8% more passengers in January this year compared to the same period in 2011.

IRELAND’s two principal airlines have experienced growth in passenger numbers, with Aer Lingus seeing a 13% boost during December and Ryanair up 5% over the entire year.

A strike by Italian air traffic controllers is expected to disrupt Aer Lingus and Ryanair flights to and from Italy today.