Ryanair strike: 24 flights cancelled as pilots prepare for walk out
More than 4,000 passengers booked to fly on Ryanair between Ireland and the UK on Friday, 20 July, have been told their flights have been cancelled by a pilots’ strike.
Europe’s biggest budget airline has grounded 24 flights across the Irish Sea.
Around 100 pilots employed by Ryanair in Dublin who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) are in dispute about seniority, annual leave arrangements and transfers of flight crew between bases.
Last Thursday, 12 July, 30 flights were cancelled in the first strike. The links to be cancelled are believed to be some of those connecting Dublin with Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted.
Ryanair says it has sought to minimise the impact on Irish families “travelling on holiday to Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Greece,” instead cancelling “high-frequency routes from Ireland to London and other UK province destinations where customers can transfer readily to other flights”.
It is offering refunds or free transfer to alternative flights on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or subsequent days.
Passengers whose flights are cancelled and who have to stay overnight as a result are entitled to accommodation and meals until Ryanair can get them to their destination – possibly on Aer Lingus or Flybe.
The airline says that anyone planning to travel between the UK and Ireland who has not been notified about a cancellation should assume that their flight will operate as normal.
Ryanair describes the pilots as enjoying “the best working conditions of perhaps any group of Irish workers,” and has alleged the pilots’ demands were “drafted by a tiny handful of Aer Lingus pilots”.
A spokesperson for IALPA said: “To date, not enough progress has been made in talks to suspend the industrial action. We have no quarrel with Ryanair’s customers, this is an action of last resort.”
Another stoppage by the union’s members working for Ryanair is planned for Tuesday 24 July. The IALPA spokesperson said: “As of today Friday’s action looks certain, next Tuesday’s action remains likely.”
Cabin crew working for Ryanair in Spain, Portugal and Belgium say they will stage 48-hour strikes on 25 and 26 July, while their colleagues in Italy will stop work for 24 hours on 25 July. They have a list of 34 demands.
But the airline says: “Ryanair has not received any formal notification of such strike action.“
A threatened strike by Italian aviation workers for Saturday has been called off.
