Adrian Dunne, Chief Operations Officer of Aer Lingus, has warned that the airline may have to cancel recruitment plans for 80 new pilots and cut the creation of 40 new captains’ roles by half. This arises from potential failure to receive six new Airbus jets due to a wage dispute the carrier faces. The dispute originates from the Airline Pilots’ Association of Ireland (Ialpa) who is expected to meet Aer Lingus management on Wednesday to resolve these issues.
According to Ialpa, they are in support of the airline’s growth but assert that this should not come at the expense of compensating existing pilots who have encountered rising inflation over the past three years and endured hardship due to pandemic travel restrictions. During this period, pay cutbacks of 70% were experienced by many pilots as a majority of the airline operations were halted by governmental restrictions.
Despite their last salary increase dating back to 2019, and a recorded 19% increase in the cost of living since then, pilots believe their pay has not matched those of their counterparts in other European airlines. As a result, they are demanding pay rises of over 20%.
Opposing this, the airline’s management contends that other groups of staff have settled for a 12.25% wage increase as proposed by the internal company pay tribunal. The tribunal also recommended an 8.5% increment for pilots, which was rejected by Ialpa’s members earlier this year.
The International Airlines Group (IAG), parent company of Aer Lingus, has stated it might redirect the new Airbus A321XLR jets to other carriers within the group if the current wage demands by Aer Lingus’s pilots are not moderated.
This year, two aeroplanes are scheduled for delivery. The first one’s paint job, expected to be done in Aer Lingus livery, is currently on pause, and a decision regarding the same must be reached by the 28th of April. Ahead of the anticipated Labour Court hearing on April 22nd, parties on both sides of the matter have agreed to a meeting this Wednesday in hopes to settle the disagreement and make a timely decision on the inaugural plane’s paintwork.
IAG, the parent company of entities including British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, has stated it cannot facilitate the investment in Aer Lingus if it leads to escalating costs and decline in profits for the group and its stakeholders.
Aer Lingus is expected to be among the frontrunners to operate the “extra-long range” Airbus A321XLR, designed to significantly reduce the price of long-haul travels. The airline states that this aircraft will create fresh possibilities for routes from Ireland to North America, which Aer Lingus considers to be the most potential-filled region for its growth.