Aer Lingus cancels Toronto-Dublin flight due to co-pilot resignation – The Irish Times

As it turned out, Aer Lingus canceled a Toronto-Dublin flight over the weekend after a doctor knocked down one of the pilots for health reasons.

The incident was unrelated to either a power struggle or a strike planned by the Irish Airline Pilots Association (Ialpa) for next week, which will campaign for a 23.88% pay rise to match inflation.

News of the flight cancellations comes after Aer Lingus clashed again with the pilots’ union over legal threats and a row over sick leave that has deepened the rift between the sides in recent days.

Over the weekend, the carrier confirmed it had canceled a flight that was scheduled to depart Toronto on Friday evening and land in Dublin at 5:15 a.m. Saturday “due to operational reasons.”

According to Ialpa, the company doctor suspended the flight’s first officer on health grounds after he sought medical advice, which is normal practice if a pilot is unwell.

The company contacted the pilot shortly before warning that he faced disciplinary action over social media posts that Aer Lingus said violated its policy in this area.

( Questions and answers Aer Lingus: 20,000 passengers will be affected by the airline’s disclosure of lists of routes at risk of cancellation )

The union claims the company doctor disabled the pilot after the first officer read a company letter to the doctor.

Aer Lingus said it did not comment on personal matters. The airline said it had re-accommodated most of the flight’s passengers by Saturday morning, but did not say how many passengers there were.

Over the weekend, Ialpa criticized the company’s “antagonistic” approach to pilots, saying it had threatened officials and union members with legal action for various reasons.

Aer Lingus chief operating officer Adrian Dunne wrote to pilots on Friday that they could be held personally liable for any losses to the airline if they fail to fulfill their obligations before industrial action begins on Wednesday.

He said the company would consider any pilot who refused the requested line-up changes by 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, when work to take over begins, as having engaged in unofficial industrial action.

He added that people “participating in this type of conduct may be held personally liable for any losses incurred.”

Dunne said the company would require medical certificates “from day one” of any sick leave used by pilots and that the airline could revoke employees’ travel privileges after they start work on June 26.

( Aer Lingus dispute escalates with accusations of ‘blackmail’ and ‘greed’ )

Ialpa responded that the company could not change its sick pay policy without union consent.

“We question any proposed changes to the sick leave policy and the proposal to require certification from day one,” wrote Capt. Daniel Langan, vice president of finance at Ialpa.

Ialpa will take all necessary measures to protect affected members, he added, noting that the union was ready to discuss the issue.

Captain Langan called the decision on traveler privileges disappointing but expected. “You are aware that Aer Lingus has a significant number of pilots, mainly first officers, who commute from abroad, using Aer Lingus employee travel due to the high cost of living in Dublin,” he said.

He argued that the lack of a pilot pay increase since 2019 has deepened the problem.

Ialpa said the union is still willing to meet to resolve the dispute.