Pilots union and Aer Lingus to have talks

The total number of flights cancelled as a result of the industrial action, Aer Lingus said, is 270.

All Aer Lingus UK regional flights, operated by Emerald Airlines, and Aer Lingus UK transatlantic flights to and from Manchester will operate as scheduled.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster’s, Good Morning Ulster programme, IALPA President Capt Mark Tighe said “nothing has changed” and the union has been “wanting and willing” to meet.

He explained that the 24% increase is a “cumulative figure of inflation from 2019, our last pay rise.

“We’ve had this for 22 months, and until a deal is agreed and brought to the members, the point of agreement between the negotiators and the company, at that point in time the executives would look at stopping the action but until then there will be no stopping the action.”

Capt Tighe added that an escalation of the action “can’t be ruled out”.

He said: “Our passengers are very important to us as pilots, our managers don’t meet our passengers, we do every day, we interact with them, they’re really important to us, we did not want it to come to this.”

The number of flights cancelled “beggars belief”, he said, as only a “small percentage” of pilots work outside of their contracted hours.

“The rest of us are tired, we need time to rest and time to spend with our families but the company are somehow saying that all of these flight cancellations are due to this tiny number of people who work on their days off. It beggars belief and it’s not credible.”