EU pilot group demands Ryanair reverse 'aggressive' base closures

A pan-European body representing Ryanair pilot unions on Friday described the Irish airline’s decision to close two bases and reduce its capacity this winter as a “declaration of war” on unions and said the move must be reversed to make progress. Ryanair in a statement angrily rejected the charge that the closures were targeted at unions, saying it had been forced to act by higher oil prices and falling airfares that have also contributed to base closures at other carriers in recent months. The airline has said it hopes to secure deals with several pilot unions in the coming months in an effort to bring a wave of industrial rest under control. But the European Cockpit Association (ECA) said the decision by the airline to close bases in the Dutch city of Eindhoven and Bremen in Germany, while also reducing capacity in the German region of Niederrhein, threatened to “seriously exacerbate” tensions. “Closing down a base and moving your employees to a different country is not compatible with social dialogue. We see it as a declaration of war, and totally contrary to all claims to be willing to negotiate,” the president of the Dutch pilots’ association VNV, Arthur van den Hudding, was quoted as saying in the ECA statement following a meeting of unions last week.<br/>