Thousands disrupted as Aer Lingus pilots strike

Thousands of people suffered travel disruption today when Aer Lingus pilots began a one-day strike.

Only 3,000 of 20,000 intended passengers were able to catch their flights due to the industrial action in response to new working hours.

The crisis sharply escalated when Aer Lingus announced yesterday that the threat of further strikes would mean the cancellation of all flights on Friday and Saturday, affecting 100,000 travellers.

The airline also stopped pilots’ wages from today in response.

Unions have expressed fears that the extended stoppages could fatally wound the airline unless a solution is found quickly.

A skeleton service is being operated between London and Dublin, Cork and Shannon, and one transatlantic flight is going ahead.

Meanwhile, pilots staged a picket outside Dublin Airport and were set to hold a mass meeting later.

The action was taken when new work rosters were disputed by the pilots. The new conditions were established under a company survival plan set up when the company suffered heavy financial losses in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Aer Lingus said the threat of further 24-hour strikes and the fallout from today’s stoppage made further groundings necessary. It is not yet known when normal operations would resume.

The airline said in a statement: ‘‘Aer Lingus regrets having to make this decision but it is unavoidable given the continuing uncertainty caused by the threat of further 24 hour stoppages and the ongoing refusal of the pilots to implement the arbitration rulings on the airline’s survival plan.’’

It is thought the cessation of operations will cost the airline over €1m a day.

But a spokesman for the Impact trade union said: ‘‘The company is now threatening a lockout, which will indeed jeopardise the company’s future and everybody’s jobs.

‘‘In reality, management have recklessly decided to inconvenience passengers, risk jobs, and jeopardise the airline’s future in pursuit of unnecessary confrontation with pilots.’’

Seven pilots at Aer Lingus have been suspended in recent days for failing to comply with new rosters.

Meanwhile tourism representatives have warned that the dispute could destroy tourism from America. The Irish Travel Agents’ Association has called on the Government to intervene.