Ryanair to lend Aer Lingus planes and crew for strike cover
16.11.07
Ryanair has been approached by Aer Lingus about hiring aircraft and crews to act as cover in the event that next Tuesday's planned industrial action goes ahead. Dispute animosity between management at the two Irish airlines, they agreed a similar deal for planned pilots strike over the new Aer Lingus base at Belfast International Airport earlier this year.
Aer Lingus is facing industrial action next Tuesday and Friday after the Siptu union served a strike notice in a dispute over what it says is a decision by the airline to 'unilaterally downgrade' the working conditions of its employees. The airline called mass meetings of all staff yesterday in hopes of persuading employees not to follow their unions' plans for rolling walkouts.
A spokeswoman for Ryanair confirmed that a request had been made and that it was in a position offer 'a number' of aircraft. She did not reveal how many, nor whether this matched the number requested by Aer Lingus, but she did confirm that the aircraft would be crewed by Ryanair staff.
Ryanair will also put on a number of extra flights next Tuesday to 'help stranded passengers' (and make a profit from the increased demand, no doubt). The aircraft being hired by Aer Lingus are Boeing 737-800 aircraft and these are used for short-haul routes.
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