Ryanair flights in and out of UK airports took off as normal Thursday morning despite strikes by pilots, the airline has said. Thousands of passengers were braced for disruption ahead of a 48-hour walkout over pay and conditions. However, the airline said 97% of flights took off on time Thursday, blaming the few delays on air traffic control. The carrier has now said it does not expect any disruption Thursday. The airline said it had drafted in pilots from elsewhere in Europe to fill in during strike action. Another 48-hour walkout is planned by members of Balpa in early September to coincide with the end of the summer holidays. The pilots are striking over pay and benefits. They have asked Ryanair to change its policies on issues such as pensions, maternity benefits and insurance for pilots who lose their licence. <br/>
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Ryanair and the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) could return to mediation in a pay dispute that saw the pair clash in court this week. This week the High Court ordered members of Ialpa – part of trade union Fórsa – in Ryanair not to strike Thursday and Friday this week in a dispute over pay. Irish-based pilots were preparing to down tools after talks aimed at averting the strike collapsed last week, but Ryanair sought an injunction to halt the industrial action. While the court adjourned the matter to next month, mediator Kieran Mulvey is understood to have suggested to both sides that they return to the process early next month. Ryanair has said that it is willing to re-enter mediation. Fórsa-Ialpa said that it would study the ruling before deciding on its next step. <br/>
Ryanair has come bottom in an annual Which? survey rating the customer services of 100 popular UK brands. The airline achieved a customer satisfaction score of only 45% for 2019. It is the sixth year in a row that Ryanair has come last. Given a choice of 50 terms to describe the airline, many respondents picked "greedy", "sneaky" and "arrogant". It comes as Ryanair pilots in the UK strike for a second day over pay and conditions. Other airlines did badly too, with British Airways coming 83rd on the list and EasyJet ranked 79th. Strikes at Ryanair caused thousands of flights to be cancelled or delayed last summer, angering passengers. The airline has so far not compensated customers, saying the strikes amounted to "extraordinary circumstances". <br/>
Ryanair is discussing possible entry to the Armenian market next year, as the carrier unveiled its first services to Georgia. Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and other senior govt figures have met with Ryanair management personnel including commercial chief David O'Brien and route development director Kate Sherry. The prime minister says the govt is prioritising tourism and views civil aviation as being important to development of the sector. Ryanair intends to enter the Armenian market "in the near future", the govt states, indicating 2020 as a provisional timeframe. The carrier is holding talks with the country's Civil Aviation Committee and Yerevan's Zvartnots airport. <br/>
Indonesia is pushing its domestic airlines to halt purchase of Airbus planes in retaliation for curbs imposed by the EU on use of palm biodiesel. Indonesia’s trade minister Enggartiasto Lukita is also asking carriers including PT Lion Mentari Airlines to consider switching their outstanding aircraft to Boeing. Lukita has spoken to Lion’s co-founder Rusdi Kirana about dumping Airbus and the carrier supports the govt move, the minister Thursday. “We are exploring all options,” Lukita said, when asked if the govt would order all carriers to switch to Boeing from Airbus. “I have contacted Rusdi, and he said the airline will follow whatever the govt decides.” <br/>
Wizz Air, which launched operations at its Vienna, Austria, base in June 2018, is adding 2 more Airbus A321s and 6 new routes in mid-December. In November, the LCC will launch operations from London Southend Airport. Wizz Air’s seventh A321 will arrive in Vienna Dec 18; its eighth of the type, July 1, 2020. The additional aircraft will enable the carrier to start services from Vienna to Athens, Castellón, Cologne, London Luton, Prishtina (Kosovo) and Tirana (Albania). The new A321s will also be used to increase frequencies on existing Lisbon and Tel Aviv routes. As a result, Wizz Air will offer a total of 44 routes to 26 countries from Vienna. Including the 6 routes and the frequency increases, in 2020 the LCC will offer nearly 4m seats from Vienna, a 66% year-over-year growth. <br/>