Thousands face disruption as Ryanair cancels 250 flights amidst strike action

The strikes are the latest in a series of walkouts by staff over pay and working conditions.

Tens of thousands of Ryanair passengers across Europe face disruption on Friday as 250 flights have been cancelled as a direct result of strike action.

Thursday saw German pilots join groups of already striking pilots in the Netherlands and Belgium, adding another 100 to the 150 cancellations already in the pipeline. Cabin crews in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain are also stopping work in a row over contracts and conditions. Ryanair's chief operations officer Peter Bellew said the action was "deeply regrettable". "It is deeply disappointing that some of our customers and our people in Germany tomorrow will have their flights disrupted by an unnecessary strike called at short notice," he said. So far, just three flights to and from Dublin Airport seem to have been affected. Those include a 12.15pm flight to Eindhoven, a 6.35pm flight to Palma and a 7.35pm flight to Faro. Ryanair has maintained that all customers whose flights have been cancelled have been contacted by email or text ahead of time. https://twitter.com/Ryanair/status/1045307007564226565 Back on 12 September, a number of flights were cancelled in Germany after pilots and flight attendants refused to work for 24 hours. Just this month, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said that strikes by pilots were necessary to keep airfares down. He insisted industrial disputes with the airline's staff have caused "minimal disruption" as he pledged not to "roll over". Ryanair staff have been striking repeatedly in recent weeks with an aim to seek higher wages and an end to the practice whereby many have been working as independent contractors without the benefits of staff employees. Workers based in countries have also been complaining that Ryanair has been employing them under Irish legislation. Staff claim that this factor – which has also been heavily contributing to strike action – creates huge insecurity blocking their access to state benefits in their country. Dublin Airport live departures and arrivals can be viewed on their website.