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Ryanair to operate 85% of flights despite pilot walkout

Ryanair to operate 85% of flights despite pilot walkout

Mubasher: Ryanair said it expects that 85% of its flights scheduled on Friday to operate normally, while its pilots in five European countries are staging their fifth strike action since 12 July.

However, the Irish airline said 396 flights will not take off in the day as planned, as staff in Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands are organising a 24-hour walkout on pay and conditions, while more than 2,000 flights will operate as scheduled.

Given that Ryanair planes has a capacity of 189, this would lead more than 74,000 customers to change routes.

“Ryanair took every step to minimise the disruption and we notified our customers as early as possible, advising them of their free move, refund or reroute options,” the company said, adding that most of passengers have been accommodated on another flights.

The carrier apologised to affected passengers in an emailed statement on late Thursday, as it called for continued negotiations with the striking unions instead of more “regrettable and unjustified” strikes.

Last June, Ryanair agreed with the Unite union to provide hundreds of cabin crew employees full consultation rights and collective bargaining, which was described as “historic.”

The deal recognised the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) as the one and only representative all of the carrier’s 600 pilots in the UK.