Flights operate normally despite strike by pilots
RYANAIR’S UK flights operated as normal yesterday morning despite a strike by pilots, the airline said.
Ryanair flights from Cardiff were not disrupted and a spokeswoman for the airport said they are not expecting any delays this weekend.
Ryanair flies from Cardiff to Barcelona, Malta, Malaga, Faro and Tenerife.
The national airport for Wales is preparing to welcome more than 27,000 passengers this Bank Holiday
weekend (today until Monday), rounding off what has been the busiest summer in over 10 years.
Deb Bowen Rees, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said: “We’re extremely pleased to welcome so many passengers over the busy Bank Holiday, whether they’re jetting off for a wellearned getaway before the holidays are over, or flying in to Wales to visit friends and relatives and experience the local area.
“During this busy period, we’d like to remind passengers to allow extra time to travel to the airport as roads will be busy, and to allow plenty of time to check in and clear security before boarding.”
A judge sitting in London on Wednesday had rejected an urgent application by Ryanair for an injunction against the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa).
Following its court victory, Balpa Ryanair’s flights from Cardiff were not disrupted by a pilot strike yesterday said it had offered to re-open talks with Ryanair in a last-ditch attempt to avoid industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
But the union said the airline had “rejected the offer out of hand” and the strikes would go ahead as planned from 12.01am on Thursday to 11.59pm on Friday.
There were fears of widespread disruption but the airline reported a 97% punctuality rate for its first departures and arrivals at UK airports yesterday.