A proposed Ryanair pilot strike in Ireland has been halted by the High Court in Dublin.

The airline was granted a last-ditch injunction to prevent the 48-hour stoppage planned for Thursday and Friday.

It comes on the same day that Ryanair is also trying to block industrial action by UK-based pilots at the High Court in London.

That strike is also due to take place on Thursday and Friday, threatening disruption ahead of the bank holiday weekend, with a second round of dates set for September.

The injunction in Ireland prevents around 180 Dublin-based pilots taking strike action, less than 24 hours before it was due to begin at 12.01am on Thursday.


Ryanair's legal counsel told the court that Forsa, the parent body of the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (IALPA), had not allowed mediation to be completed before the strike and that it would be in breach of an agreement made between the airline and the union last year.

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The airline said in a statement that the ruling "will come as a huge relief to thousands of Irish passengers and their families" and called on the "very small minority of very well paid Irish pilots" involved in the dispute to return to mediation.

It said all Ryanair flights scheduled to depart on Thursday and Friday from Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports would now operate as normal.

In London, the airline was seeking to block action by members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa).

Paul Gott QC, representing Ryanair, told the court in a written case outline that strike action could be "enormously disruptive" and that the company would suffer significant reputational damage.

He said Balpa had not conducted a ballot which complied with the requirements of industrial relations law.

The union has accused Ryanair of wasting time and "relying on legal technicalities" to try to block the strike.

Meanwhile, the airline last month said it was planning to cut hundreds of jobs because it has more staff than needed.