Aer Lingus has said it now looks unlikely that it will take delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR as planned, because talks aimed at ending a pay dispute with pilots have ended without agreement.
The Labour Court is scheduled to hear the dispute between the airline and the pilot's union IALPA on Monday.
But with agreement needed on the pay issue before the airline can receive its first Airbus A321XLR aircraft and the deadline for that delivery approaching, both sides agreed to continue talks themselves ahead of the Labour Court sitting.
"Aer Lingus met with IALPA representatives again this week to continue to explore if an agreement on pay could be reached in advance of the Labour Court hearing on 22nd April, in order to secure the delivery of the inaugural A321XLR aircraft for Aer Lingus," the airline said in a statement.
"The discussions concluded without agreement. IALPA continued to demand pay increases for pilots that are significantly higher than the 12.25% increase in consolidated pay and 1.5% of unconsolidated pay that had been recommended by the independent Pilot Pay Tribunal in its report in December 2023."
The airline added that given the tight lead times, it now looks unlikely that the first aircraft can be allocated to Aer Lingus by parent IAG.
It said decisions on the remaining XLRs would be required the coming months.
"Aer Lingus is now assessing the implications of this for future jobs and investment in the business," it said.
"Aer Lingus now looks forward to the pay dispute being heard by the Labour Court on 22nd April."
A spokesperson for IALPA confirmed talks had taken place in recent days but that they were inconclusive.
But he said that because there is an industrial relations process underway, the union could not comment any further on the matter.
