Ryanair braced for strikes as German pilot row continues

RYANAIR is facing fresh strikes after German pilots voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.

Some 96pc of the Vereinigung Cockpit pilot union yesterday backed a walkout after exploratory talks broke down last Friday. The union wants working conditions similar to those found at comparable airlines such as German carrier Tuifly.

Ryanair has until Aug 6 to make a “workable proposal” to avert pilots withdrawing their services, Vereinigung Cockpit said. The low-cost carrier has cancelled flights after pilot strikes in Dublin and industrial action by cabin crew in Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Ryanair took what one City analyst called “the nuclear option” last week, saying 300 pilots and cabin crew in Dublin risk losing their jobs, with plans to cut its winter fleet from the Irish capital by a fifth.

Ingolf Schumacher, the Vereinigung Cockpit industrial relations chairman, accused Ryanair of “playing for time”.

“We implore upon Ryanair to reverse its present way of behaving like a wrong-way driver towards pilot and cabin crew unions throughout Europe,” said Mr Schumacher.

A spokesman for Ryanair said: “We have written to the VC [Vereinigung Cockpit] today and invited them to another meeting next week.”