An additional 122 flights have been cancelled next week due to the ongoing industrial dispute, causing significant disruption to thousands of passengers. The pilots’ union was considering escalating their action when the invitation to the Labour Court meeting was received.

Both Aer Lingus management and Forsa, the parent union of the Irish Air Line Pilots Association (Ialpa), accepted the invitation. Ialpa president Captain Mark Tighe stated that the executive meeting formally accepted the Labour Court invitation for Monday at 2:30 pm.

He added that it was unclear if the meeting would involve direct discussions with Aer Lingus management.

Hundreds of pilots are expected to strike at Aer Lingus’ management offices on Saturday, starting at 5 am.

The strike and an ongoing work-to-rule action have led to the cancellation of over 270 flights, affecting thousands of passengers. The additional cancellations bring the total to nearly 400.

Aer Lingus announced that these cancellations, scheduled between Wednesday, July 3rd, and Sunday, July 7th, are intended to “protect as many services as possible.”

“These cancellations will be implemented today, and details will be communicated to impacted customers. Details of the services impacted are set out on the Travel Advisory page of aerlingus.com,” the airline stated.

Affected customers will have the option to change their flights for free, claim a refund, or receive a voucher.

“Aer Lingus fully understands the anxiety being experienced by customers due to the uncertainty caused by Ialpa’s industrial action and is providing impacted customers with as many options as possible,” the airline added.