Ryanair to cancel 40 to 50 flights daily for six weeks
LONDON: Ryanair Holdings Plc scrapped 82 flights yesterday, the start of a six-week programme of cancellations it is making as it seeks to reduce a backlog of crew vacation required by Irish regulators before the end of the year.
“We have messed up in the planning of pilot holidays and we’re working hard to fix that,” said Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs in a statement on Saturday.
The Dublin-based carrier said it expected to cancel 40 to 50 flights daily, “with a slightly higher number this weekend”.
Ryanair would offer refunds or alternative flights to affected customers over the period, it said in a statement on Friday, adding that the cancellations, which amount to about two per cent of its network, wouldn’t have an impact on earnings this month and next month.
Between 308,000 and 385,000 passengers could be impacted over the period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg based on the airline’s passenger statistics.
Ryanair is mandated by the Irish Aviation Authority to bring time off for the staff in line with the calendar year from January 1, requiring it to distribute the backlog before year-end. That’s left the carrier without enough pilots and flight attendants to man its full fleet of Boeing Co 737s until the start of its winter timetable in November.
“We have operated a record schedule and traffic during the peak summer months of July and last month but must now allocate annual leave to pilots and cabin crew,” said spokesman Robin Kiely.
“We apologise sincerely to the small number of customers affected by these cancellations, and will be doing our utmost to arrange alternative flights and/or full refunds for them.” Bloomberg