Aer Lingus places 129 Shannon staff on temporary leave
AER Lingus has placed 129 staff at Shannon Airport on temporary unpaid leave, the airline announced yesterday.
Staff across its Shannon in-flight services and ground operations will be laid off from next Monday until at least June 7.
The shock news comes as the airline – which is part of IAG with British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia – announced a loss of €362million for last year as it remains effectively grounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. One airindustry expert predicted last night that all the laid-off jobs would be unlikely to return.
A spokesman for Aer Lingus commented: ‘Increased travel restrictions in Ireland and across our network and the subsequent negative impact on demand for travel required us to review our network schedule and operations.
‘Aer Lingus has completed a review of the Shannon operation, and on the basis that no flights have operated to or from Shannon since April 5, Aer Lingus has concluded that it is not sustainable to continue to roster staff to the current levels when there is no work available.’
Aer Lingus also called on the Government to form an exit strategy from the current public health restrictions.
‘Aviation planning has long lead-times and it is therefore imperative that a clear exit plan from the current restrictions is urgently developed.
‘This will enable the restoration of Ireland’s connectivity as quickly as possible and ensure that the economy is supported to deliver the recovery that will be vital for the country. Government should engage proactively with all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that this plan is put in place,’ the spokesman added.
Aviation industry expert Eoghan Corry fears once the airline has gone through the process of laying off that many staff it is unlikely it will reemploy them all again.
‘I don’t see a situation where Aer Lingus will have that level of staffing again. It’s a very short season, it’s got about eight or nine weeks of Americans coming in,’ he said.
‘There’s no doubt they prefer to land there than in Dublin but it’s getting the level of services up for a short season that justifies someone sending an aircraft out there.
‘I would expect Aer Lingus to return and stay there, but I suspect that this is the beginning of the move to get their costs down.
‘I don’t see the staffing levels because they were way too high. It has never made money in Shannon and it needs to start justifying its existence economically,’ he said.
Ireland’s flag carrier airline, which was bought out by IAG six years ago, recently underwent a €2million rebrand that shed its iconic all-green livery for plain white.
A spokesman for the airline workers’ union Fórsa, which represents around 5,000 staff, said: ‘The laying-off of all Aer Lingus cabin crew at Shannon Airport is devastating for the staff and for the region.
‘Throughout the Covid crisis Fórsa has always sought to maintain the links between staff and employer, in order that the airline and its crews were ready to resume services as and when it was safe to do so. The Covid crisis has lasted far longer than anyone had envisaged, and this creates additional challenges to maintain the solutions that we had previously put in place with the employer.’
SIPTU’s Shannon Airport organiser Neil McGowan said: ‘This is a devastating blow to the Aer Lingus workers based in Shannon Airport who have been on significantly reduced earnings for the last year.’
‘Devastating for staff and region’