Reassurances are being sought from Ryanair that all Glasgow based pilots will receive preferential access to relocate when the base closes later this year.
The call came from the British Airline Pilots Association after the budget carrier revealed plans to switch the bulk of its operations to Edinburgh airport next winter and shut its Glasgow base with a loss of around 300 jobs.
Ryanair expects to create around 700 jobs at Edinburgh as part of the transfer which will see only three routes left at Glasgow.
Chief commercial officer David O’Brien blamed the change on the cost of Air Passenger Duty and said Glasgow “simply could not bear the burden”.
A Glasgow airport spokesman said there was “no doubt” that the failure to replace APD with a cheaper air departure tax (ADT) in Scotland was behind the move.
However, Ryanair’s ramped up operations at Edinburgh – where 11 new routes will be added – will still face the same issue as all airlines face similar tax burdens.
The Scottish government said it remained committed to reducing APD by 50%, but that there were still issues to be resolved before this could be introduced.
Ryanair’s view is that Glasgow’s market sustains lower prices and delivers tighter margins, so the impact of flat-rate ADT is proportionately larger than in Edinburgh, the BBC reported.
Balpa national officer Terry Brandon said: “This is sad news for the pilot community based at Glasgow and we will do all that we can to support our members.
“We have started the process of consultation with Ryanair to ensure that our members’ jobs are protected.”