Ryanair Cancels 30 Flights As Pilots Set To Strike

Ryanair has cancelled 30 flights for Thursday due to a planned strike by some of its Ireland-based pilots, despite a last minute meeting between company and union to avert industrial action.

Ryanair said only 94, or 27 percent, of its Ireland-based pilots will strike on the 12th, but it would have to cancel 30 out of a total of 290 Irish flights on the day. Only flights between Ireland and the UK will be affected.

The dispute is over pilot seniority, annual leave and base transfers, with the pilots’ union rejecting 21 invitations to negotiate on the airline’s offer, Ryanair said.

The pilots are represented by the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA), a branch of Fórsa, Ireland’s second largest union.

IALPA said it had accepted an invitation to meet Ryanair on Wednesday and has “reserved a ‘neutral’ venue in order to allay concerns expressed by Ryanair that a meeting between the parties would risk becoming a ‘media circus’.”

IALPA said industrial action on July 12 remains likely.