Mannion appeals to pilots to call off strike

Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion has appealed directly to nearly 500 pilots not to damage the company by striking for 48-hours next Tuesday and Wednesday, grounding the airline's fleet and disrupting thousands of passengers.

However, Mr Mannion stood firm on the airline's decision to axe its Shannon to Heathrow route as a series of meetings in the region today finished.

Mr Mannion, who met Minister for Defence and Limerick East TD Willie O'Dea this morning, told Shannon politicians and business leaders the decision to cut Heathrow services would not be reversed.

Speaking to reporters, he said: "I'm calling on the general body of our pilots, who are very loyal to this organisation and very loyal to our customers, please call off this wholly unnecessary strike action for next Tuesday and Wednesday. It will damage all of our interests associated with this organisation."

The pilots will withdraw their services over the company's decision to employ pilots at less favourable terms and conditions at its new Belfast hub, which is also the beneficiary of the Heathrow slots currently held by Shannon airport.

Aer Lingus rejected a proposal by the Impact trade union to lift the strike threat if the company shelved its recruitment campaign for pilots in Belfast and entered talks at the Labour Relations Commission.

Mr Mannion said that the company could not agree, for commercial and other reasons, to the "stringent preconditions" set by the union for talks. "It's now time to look at other alternatives."

The airline said that as a result of the strike action by the Irish Airline Pilots' Union, part of Impact, Aer Lingus has been forced to cancel all of its scheduled flights.

"However, we have managed to secure a number of hire-in aircraft and will operate a limited schedule...in order to minimise the disruption to customers," the company said.

In Shannon today, Mr Mannion admitted the airline had been surprised by the volume of opposition to the withdrawal of the Heathrow slots but that the decision was final. Today's meetings with politicians and business leaders were about "building relationships for the future", Mr Mannion said.

Executive chairman of Shannon Airport Pat Shanahan said in a statement that a "full and frank" exchange was had at today's meeting with Mr Mannion.

"Mr Mannion reiterated his stance from the outset of our negotiations that the decision to withdraw the service has been made but we are still determined to do whatever is possible to ensure this is overturned and believe that Aer Lingus is still the best airline to operate this service," said Mr Shanahan.

Mr Shanahan said assurances had been given by Mr Mannion in relation to the continuation of Aer Lingus' transatlantic services. The airport intended to find "whatever means possible to make them profitable and sustainable in the long-term".

John Sharman chairman of the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance said the lobby group "left Aer Lingus bosses in no doubt as to the strength of feeling in western regions on this issue and their determination to vigorously pursue all options open to them to have this decision reversed".

"We are pleased by the level of mounting support nationally for this campaign. People all over Ireland now recognise that this issue is a national issue.

"This is a vital piece of national infrastructure and the Aer Lingus decision flies in the face of Government policy for balanced regional development. This is a vibrant region contributing over 20 per cent of GDP and we want to ensure that it continues to grow."

A huge public protest organised by Aer Lingus workers in the region

took place tonight.

Following this morning's meeting, Mr O'Dea, who has repeatedly called for Government intervention, said he would continue to fight over the issue.

Labour Party TD for Limerick East Jan O'Sullivan said she was disappointed that Mr Mannion had rejected calls for Aer Lingus management to review the decision. She said the only course of action to reverse the decision - which regional leaders have claimed will jeopardise tourism and business in the midwest - was political.

"At the meeting today Mr Mannion did not totally rule out the possibility that he would respond to a Government approach on the matter," Ms O'Sullivan said.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern would be forced into action if there was a collective approach from the Fianna Fáil midwest TDs and a "clear warning that they would vote against the Aer Lingus decision in any Dáil motion", she said.

Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley stated the move was "not in line with Government policy on regional development".

Speaking in Ennis after meeting business and tourism interests, Mr Gormley said: "We now have to face the difficult issues in relation to the independence of Aer Lingus. . . . The fact that Aer Lingus operates as a commercially independent company, those issues need to be teased out in some detail with my Cabinet colleagues.

In a statement for the Government yesterday, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said that, as a listed plc, Aer Lingus had to take its own decisions: "It is inappropriate for the Government to intervene in the decision-making of a private company. To do so would ultimately be damaging to the company and its customers."

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland today that the Heathrow route was over-rated. "People have voted [against Heathrow] with their feet, and large numbers have gone to Paris, gone to Amsterdam - gone to other hubs, and that in my view is something that Shannon should be looking at."

No plans were revealed by Aer Lingus today

for future routes from Shannon, but there was speculation about the possibility of securing leased Heathrow slots, which will be up for renewal in the next few years.

The British Airways lease is due to end in 2009 and Continental in 2011. Mr Mannion said it was too soon to say what would happen, but the airline would consider the Heathrow slots in due time.