Reports made to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) go into a “black hole”, it has been alleged.

International and Irish pilots have come together to condemn as “unwarranted, unacceptable and counterproductive to flight safety” the publication of the last two minutes of the cockpit voice recordings of ill-fated Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 116.

The airline in dispute with a pilots’ union over a proposed Cork-Boston route admits its director of flight operations is not a member of the organisation, as it had originally claimed.

A pilots’ union has accused the airline behind the planned Cork-Boston route of “using Cork as a pawn” in a battle over labour standards.

The Norwegian airline planning to launch the first transatlantic flights from Cork has rejected claims its Irish subsidiary will hire staff on lower pay and conditions.

Unions representing workers at Aer Lingus are due to brief their shop stewards at the airline today and tomorrow to further clarify their stance on the proposed takeover of the airline by aviation group IAG.

Trade unions at Aer Lingus have distanced themselves from claims from a person within their ranks that workers are now in favour of a takeover by IAG.

One in four Aer Lingus workers could lose their jobs if the airline is taken over by IAG, unions have claimed.

A judge has ruled Ryanair is entitled to some documents it sought for its action alleging it was defamed by remarks relating to "low-fuel emergency landings".

Aer Lingus cabin crew will mount pickets at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports from 5am tomorrow as their 24-hour strike grinds almost all the airline’s services into and out of the country to a halt.

Ryanair says public comments made by pilots’ spokesman Evan Cullen about how its fuel policy allegedly affects its safety practices were defamatory, the High Court has heard.

I refer to the article by Paul Mills (Business, Aug 15). He is not short of opinions. However in this case his opinions are based on a substantial number of errors of fact and appreciation.

The president of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association is calling on Transport Minister Leo Varadkar to launch an independent investigation into the effectiveness of the Irish Aviation Authority.

The president of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association claims Aer Arann pilots are earning, on average, less than €30,000 a year.

Airline pilots have warned that EU’s aviation safety body is placing the safety of passengers at risk due to proposals to change existing flying time limits for pilots.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has rubbished claims that authorities in Spain could suspend his airline’s operating licence over a fuel row.

A Spanish consumer organisation has accused Ryanair of “jeopardising passenger safety” and called on the director of civil aviation to investigate the circumstances which led to three Ryanair flights issuing mayday calls at Valencia airport.

The Irish Aviation Authority was warned as recently as last September that the €85,000 fees paid by cadets training with Pilot Training College Waterford were at risk as the company could be in financial difficulty.

CRUNCH talks aimed at averting industrial action by Aer Lingus pilots and travel chaos were continuing at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) last night.

THE inexperienced captain of the Cork Airport crash flight allowed his rookie co-pilot to make three landing attempts in dense fog.

THE Irish Airline Pilot’s Association has criticised new proposals for EU rules on flight time limitations, published by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) last night informed Aer Lingus it will begin a work-to-rule industrial action today because of “bizarre and inhumane” rostering arrangements.

UP to 5,000 workers in the community and voluntary sector will lose their jobs before the end of the year, the IMPACT trade union delegate conference was told yesterday.

RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary has apologised for wrongly describing a trade union officer on a TV programme as a “failed Aer Lingus pilot”, as part of a High Court settlement of a defamation action.

AER LINGUS carried 664,000 passengers in February — 24,000, or 3.5%, less than in the same month last year.

Pilots at Aer Lingus have voted by an 81% majority to accept a €35m cost-cutting plan at the airline.

THE loss of more than 1,000 Aer Lingus jobs now appears unavoidable after last-gasp talks between management and pilots failed to create an agreement.

AER LINGUS management and its pilots enter talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) on Monday, with both more determined than ever not to compromise over the conditions for workers at the airline’s new Belfast base.

Executive members of the Irish pilots’ union will meet today to consider an invitation from Aer Lingus to enter talks.

Much of Ireland’s air traffic is to be paralysed next week after Aer Lingus pilots tonight agreed to a 48-hour strike.

FOLLOWING a 10-month standoff seven Ryanair pilots are to accept a retraining deal after they received assurances that they can continue with High Court victimisation cases against the airline.