Ryanair claims to have flown through the latest phase of strike action by some UK pilots with little or no disruption.
The no-frills carrier said all flights yesterday morning departed as scheduled with 95% on time, which it attributed to air traffic control delays.
“We do not expect any strike related disruptions to our flights to/from our UK airports today,” the airline said on Monday.
Members of the British Airline Pilots Association are taking three days of industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The latest walkout until Wednesday night follows two previous strike days on August 22-23.
Ryanair said: “On behalf of our customers and their families we wish to thank all our UK pilots who did not support Balpa’s strike and have chosen to work to protect the flights and travel plans of our customers and their families.”
But the union claimed yesterday’s action was “strongly supported” by members, forcing the airline to engage contractors and bring in foreign crews to run its operation.
Balpa has called on Ryanair to resolve the dispute through the conciliation service ACAS but claimed the carrier appears “unwilling to give up control of any potential negotiations and all talks come with a long list of unhelpful and unacceptable stipulations”.
General secretary Brian Strutton said: “We hope this second round of walk-outs will signal the resolve of our members.
“Ryanair pilots simply want to bring about change in the company that will ensure its workforce are entitled to benefits that are seen across aviation in many other companies.
“We have not had the chance to ask for a specific percentage pay rise – despite reports of severely inflated pay demands.”
As well as pay, pilots are calling for a “consistent and transparent pay structure, adequate pension provision, loss of licence insurance and more appropriate maternity benefits”.