Aer Lingus cancelled 14 flights today as a result of the current dispute with cabin crew over the introduction of controversial new rosters.
The airline said that return flights to London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Manchester, Birmingham and Frankfurt from Dublin would be affected. It said that two return services from Cork to Paris and Amsterdam had also been cancelled.
Aer Lingus warned yesterday that there would be "limited cancellations" in the days ahead as a result of the dispute.
It said that where possible, cancellations would be confined to routes with a high frequency schedule. It said that most intending passengers would be able to reach their destination on the same day.
The trade union Impact, which represents cabin crew, said last night that 200 of its members had been removed from the payroll so far by the company for refusing to operate the new rosters which were introduced unilaterally last week.
Fine Gael transport spokesman Simon Coveney said the ongoing uncertainty cannot go unchallenged and he called on the Government to pressure management at the airline to agree some form of meditation.
“Having large numbers of cabin crew suspended without pay and a travelling public seriously inconvenienced is damaging the reputation of Aer Lingus and needs to be resolved without delay,” Mr Coveney said.