Full Aer Lingus services set to resume as last set of cancellations end

Aer Lingus services are set to return to normal following the last set of cancellations due to pilots’ industrial action

Aer Lingus services have returned to normal following the last set of cancellations due to pilots’ industrial action, while union ballots to ratify a new pay deal are due to begin Thursday evening.

Although members of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) agreed to suspend their work-to-rule action a week ago, Aer Lingus had
cancelled flights through to Tuesday, July 16 in advance and indicated they would remain cancelled with a full service resuming Wednesday.

More than 570 flights in all were cancelled during the industrial action initiated by IALPA in a long-running dispute over pay.

Pilots had sought an almost 24% increase they said was in line with inflation since their last pay rise in 2019. Aer Lingus, however, had said it was willing to offer 12.25% and above if improvements to “productivity and flexibility” were on the table.

Numerous attempts at reaching a compromise failed, with pilots entering into a work-to-rule on Wednesday, June 26. The action also included an eight-hour work stoppage on Saturday, June 29.

During the impasse, efforts to bring the two sides together failed to yield a breakthrough until a Labour Court hearing in early July.

It recommended a 17.75% pay increase for pilots through to 2026, along with changes to pay scales and increased to overnight allowances.

The Labour Court noted in its recommendation that there could be a “very grave and unfavourable outcome” to the dispute should a resolution not be found. It was critical of both sides for laying “significant emphasis on the differences between the parties” rather than focusing on positions they did agree with.

Aer Lingus was first out of the blocks that same evening to say they would accept the terms of the recommendation.

Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (Ialpa) president Mark Tighe arrives for a meeting at The Labour Court in Dublin.

IALPA’s executive eventually followed suit last week and recommended that pilots accept the deal and end the dispute. At the same time, they also called off their industrial action pending the results of the ballot.

Speaking last week, Ialpa president Mark Tighe said: "It is not quite the inflation that we were discussing but we're looking at, two years from now, pilots will be 19.2% better off than they were - which is someways towards inflation."

"We're recommending it because we believe its a deal that the pilots can hopefully accept."

The move to suspend the industrial action was met with a sigh of relief from Government, which had been repeatedly warned over the damage to holidaymakers and to internal tourism from the dispute. 

Aer Lingus, meanwhile, said it looked forward to IALPA completing the balloting process as soon as possible.

The ballot for pilots begins at 5pm on Thursday and will close at 9am next Tuesday, July 23. It’s expected the results will be announced shortly afterwards.