Pilots at Aer Lingus Regional operator Emerald Airlines have accepted a new deal with the company that includes pay boosts of up to 20 per cent, their trade union confirmed at the weekend.
Emerald is a separate company to Aer Lingus, but operates the larger airline’s regional services, which mostly connect Ireland with Britain, under a contract that began in 2023.
The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) trade union confirmed at the weekend that 93 per cent of members in Emerald voted to accept a new deal with management, covering pay and conditions.
The agreement includes pay increases for pilots, with hikes of up to 20 per cent for captains, according to an Ialpa statement.
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Dubbing the deal “significant”, Capt Aidan Rothwell, chairman of Ialpa in Emerald, predicted that it would result in “meaningful improvements to pay, career progression and conditions of employment”.
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Along with the headline increases for captains, the deal boosts first officers’ pay “throughout the salary scale”, Rothwell added.
He acknowledged the contribution of the Ialpa negotiating team and Emerald Airlines management in reaching the deal.
Ialpa is among the unions with which Aer Lingus will be negotiating an overhaul that could result in up to 500 job cuts, including 70 pilots.
The Irish carrier said last week that it was grappling with higher costs, more competition and tough economic conditions, while it had to increase margins to meet targets set by its owner International Airlines Group.
Aer Lingus stressed that talks would focus on lessening the need for redundancies and said the move was designed to prepare the airline for the future.
