Aer Lingus to cancel 244 flights next week due to pilots’ industrial action

An Aer Lingus aircraft landing at Dublin Airport. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

At least 244 Aer Lingus flights have now been cancelled for next week due to industrial action by pilots.

Next Saturday alone, 120 flights have been cancelled because of eight hours of strike action by pilots, which will impact 15,000 passengers.

This is in addition to the 124 flights that have already been cancelled because of an indefinite work-to-rule protest by pilots, who are members of the IALPA trade union.

In a statement, Aer Lingus said: “Following IALPA’s escalation of the industrial action by announcing an 8-hour strike by pilots on Saturday 29th June, Aer Lingus has had to cancel 120 flights on that day. This will impact 15,000 customers on Aer Lingus short-haul services. 

"Aer Lingus has re-timed long-haul services on both 28th June and 29th June in order to avoid cancellation of these services.

"Aer Lingus is automatically rebooking some customers onto alternative flights and has begun emailing all other customers informing them of the cancellations and advising them of their options: to change their flight for free, to request a refund or to request a voucher.

"The detail of the cancelled flights on 29th June is available on the ‘Travel Advisory’ on the Aer Lingus website at aerlingus.com.

"Aer Lingus Regional flights, operated by Emerald Airlines, are unaffected by IALPA’s industrial action and will operate as scheduled. Aer Lingus Regional flight numbers are in the range EI3000 – EI3999.”

Earlier

Summer holiday plans were left in disarray for thousands of families amid an escalation of the industrial dispute at Aer Lingus, with pilots announcing an all-out eight-hour strike for next Saturday.

The complete work stoppage was announced shortly after Aer Lingus revealed that up to 20,000 people would already be affected by flight cancellations because of a work-to-rule protest by pilots.

From Wednesday, 124 flights will be cancelled over the following five days because of the work-to-rule action.

Among the affected routes are the Cork and Dublin services to London Heathrow and services from Dublin to Paris, Amsterdam, Lyons, Berlin, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Rome, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Manchester, Munich, Vienna, and JFK airport in New York.

The all-out strike will take place next Saturday, June 29, from 5am to 1pm, during a period when thousands of people are due to fly out for summer holidays.

Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin have urged both sides to use existing industrial relations mechanisms to end the dispute.

Captain Mark Tighe, president of the Irish Air Line Pilots Association (IALPA), said pilots “have been forced to escalate this dispute following a campaign of antagonism by Aer Lingus management”.

He claimed: “Rather than meeting with IALPA for direct negotiations to resolve this dispute, the airline is sending letters to IALPA threatening to cut members’ terms and conditions by unilaterally terminating collective agreements.

“Aer Lingus’ legal representatives have also written to each member of the IALPA executive committee this week, in their personal capacities, threatening to issue proceedings in the High Court for alleged unlawful conduct regarding an alleged increase in pilot absence due to illness.

“IALPA refutes this allegation in the strongest terms.”

An Aer Lingus spokesman said the company is appalled that “IALPA would further escalate this industrial action, following the insidious action previously announced”.

The company said that IALPA’s decision is “clearly designed to inflict maximum damage on passengers’ travel plans at the peak of the holiday season”.

The company has not ruled out further cancellations of flights in the days ahead.

Aer Lingus has automatically rebooked some customers and has begun emailing all other customers, informing them of the cancellation and advising them of their options — to change their flight for free, to request a refund, or to request a voucher.

Ialpa is seeking a pay increase of 24%, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019.

Aer Lingus has described the pay demand as unrealistic and said there have been no pay deals in Ireland that delivered such an increase.

Donal Moriarty, chief corporate affairs officer at Aer Lingus, said: "We would like to engage in direct discussions with Ialpa to reach a reasonable settlement to this pay dispute and we are trying to do that but, unfortunately, Ialpa ended those discussions last Monday."

He said Aer Lingus pilots are already paid "very well" and their salaries are "in line" with the market rates.

"There is a pay deal on offer to them of a 12.25% increase, which they've declined," he said.

"We have also tried to discuss with them building upon that over and above 12.25% by discussing improvements in productivity and flexibility, but unfortunately Ialpa have been unwilling (to engage) with those discussions."

About a quarter of all Ialpa members are on the top pay package of about €287,000, which includes the value of pensions and other benefits.

To reach this pay package takes 26 years and several exams, representatives have said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said people need to "step back from the brink" in relation to the dispute.

"The Government has a willingness for parties to come together through the Government's industrial relations mechanisms, and they are available to all of the parties and I would encourage parties to it," Mr Harris said.

"People need to step back from the brink in relation to this.

"Of course, anybody has a right in their workplace to highlight an issue, I get that. But what I do not get is the fact that at this time of the year, when people in our country are about to go on their summer holidays, people who've worked hard and saved up throughout the year are about to be seriously discommoded by this action.

"I don't think there is a justification for that, quite frankly, in terms of the impact it will have.

"The impact is disproportionate and ... people need to step back from the brink.

"This will affect children and parents looking to go on holidays. It also affects business and will also affect people coming into our country, too, in terms of tourism at these busy times.