Ryanair pilots are going on strike today and tomorrow as part of a 48-hour walkout. Ryanair members of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) also went on strike last month but the budget airline was able to keep travel disruption to a minimum. The low-cost carrier flies in the UK from a great number of airports and serves numerous customers. Will Ryanair be able to prevent travel chaos this week and which airports could be affected?
Ryanair flies in the UK from the following airports: Aberdeen, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Derry, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle and Newquay Cornwall.
However, the airline remains confident that flights will not be impacted by the “pointless” pilot strikes today and tomorrow and said recently that it did not expect any strike-related disruptions during the day.
The airline said in a statement yesterday: “Ryanair expects all its flights to/from UK airports on Wednesday 18th & Thursday 19th to operate as scheduled thanks to the efforts of over 95 per cent of our UK pilots who have confirmed that they will work their rosters, and will not support these failed BALPA strikes.
“On behalf of our customers and their families we wish to sincerely thank all our UK pilots who do not support these BALPA strikes.
“We have repeatedly invited BALPA to return to negotiations with Ryanair, and to call off these unsupported and failed pilot strikes, but BALPA have yet to offer any reason for their continuing refusal to take up these invitations.”
Ryanair has also said flights will not be affected on 21 September, reported The Independent.
They have not yet predicted the impact on flights for 23, 25, 27 and 29 September.
BALPA has said the strike is down to a row over pay and working conditions.
“We are clear that we want to settle the dispute and bring about a change in Ryanair for the better,” BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton, said in a statement earlier this month.
“Pilots in Ryanair are seeking the same kind of policies and agreements that exist in other airlines – our demands are not unreasonable.
“We want to address issues like pensions; loss of licence insurance; maternity benefits; allowances; and harmonise pay across the UK in a fair, transparent, and consistent structure.
“While this action has considerably disrupted Ryanair, forcing them to engage contractors and bring in foreign crews to run its operation, it has had limited impact on the public’s travel plans.
“Ryanair should stop dragging its feet and get back to the negotiating table.”
The UK Ryanair strike coincides with a strike by airline staffing Spain. Ryanair recently announced the closure of its two bases in the Canary Islands, while a third closure in Girona has yet to be confirmed.
Union representatives say they are not prepared to accept the situation, which they believe will involve the loss of hundreds of jobs.
As such, the strike has been registered by the USO and SICTPLA unions and will affect all 13 bases in Spain where Ryanair has a presence.
