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Ryanair to shut Eindhoven base despite legal ruling

Ryanair is to push ahead with the closure of a base in Holland next week despite a Dutch court’s ruling.

The no-frills carrier will not appeal a court ruling blocking the closure of the airline’s base in Eindhoven, saying the legal decision would not change its plans to shut the base down.

The airline initially said it had instructed its lawyers to appeal the ruling handed down earlier yesterday.

But a spokesman later told Reuters that it would not appeal, having read the court judgement in full.

“All pilots and cabin crew have already been offered base transfers, which protects their seniority and earnings, but if any crew members wish to choose redundancies over base transfers then we will respect that choice,” the airline said in a statement.

It added that the ruling would not have an impact on Ryanair’s decision to close the four-aircraft base on November 6.

Sixteen Ryanair pilots went to court to have the relocation ruled illegal, arguing that the Irish carrier took the step because of the strikes by Dutch crew earlier this year.

Pilots in Eindhoven went on strike twice this year in protest at changes to their secondary benefits.

The court said that Ryanair had not proved the necessity of shutting the Eindhoven base, despite the far-reaching impact that moving pilots abroad would have on their lives.

The Den Bosch District Court ruled that Ryanair must continue to pay the pilots’ salaries in line with Dutch law and ensure that they maintain their flying skills so they can continue to fly Boeing 737s.

Ryanair’s lawyers argued its decision was based on financial considerations – the airline has cut the forecast for its annual net profit by 12% after it was hit by a series of recent strikes.

The airline made the announcement after warning its bottom line had been hit by walkouts in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain that forced it to cancel hundreds of flights in the summer season.

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