BERLIN: Ryanair’s efforts to avert its first ever pilots strike collapsed on Friday as pilots in Germany held a four-hour walkout although airports said there had been little impact on flights.
The Irish budget carrier had sought to avert a series of threatened strikes across Europe over Christmas last week by giving up its long-held opposition to recognizing unions.
However, Germany’s Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said it would stage a brief walkout as it did not believe Ryanair was serious about recognizing unions or sincere in talks.
“This was a warning shot and we started small. However, there is potential for much more,” union spokesman Markus Wahl said, ruling out further strikes until after Dec 26.
The strike ran from 0401 GMT to 0759 GMT when only 16 flights were scheduled.
“All in all there are no significant effects,” a spokesman for Berlin airports said, noting that five of seven flights had departed, with one delayed.
Cologne/Bonn airport said two of three scheduled flights had taken off and the third was delayed. Frankfurt airport said four of six scheduled flights had taken off.
Ryanair was not available for immediate comment. Management had urged pilots to work to get passengers home for Christmas.
But the VC union said after a first meeting that it did not believe Ryanair genuinely wanted to recognize unions and said it wanted to send a message that their pilots were serious about industrial action.
VC said Ryanair had refused to accept two members of a delegation that the union nominated to hold talks with management. One of the pilots was a contractor and one a direct employee, but Ryanair has ended both of their contracts, VC said.
“This has shown us that nothing has changed with Ryanair’s management style or how it handles workers’ rights,” VC President Ilja Schulz told reporters on Thursday.
Ryanair pilots mobilized in September after the carrier announced the cancelation of around 20,000 flights, which it blamed on a rostering problem sparked by a change in Irish regulations.
Ryanair hit with first ever pilots strike
Ryanair hit with first ever pilots strike
Closing Bell: Saudi main index climbs to 10,485
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index edged up on Sunday, gaining 34.32 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 10,484.59.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR2.59 billion ($690 million), with 168 listed stocks advancing and 87 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also gained 100.37 points to close at 23,454.65.
The MSCI Tadawul Index advanced by 0.13 points to 1,377.44.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Nama Chemicals Co., whose share price increased by 9.98 percent to SR22.38.
The share price of Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. rose by 9.15 percent to SR23.85.
Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co. also saw its stock price climb by 8.42 percent to SR57.95.
Conversely, the share price of Canadian Medical Center Co. dropped by 6.37 percent to SR6.03.
The stock price of Kingdom Holding Co. also declined by 3.16 percent to SR8.28.
In the parallel market, Alfakhera for Mens Tailoring Co. was the top performer, with its share price advancing by 16.40 percent to SR8.80.
On the announcements front, Theeb Rent a Car Co. said it had signed a long-term vehicle leasing services contract valued at SR110.4 million with Hungerstation Co.
Under the deal, Theeb will lease 2,000 vehicles to HungerStation for a period of four years starting from 2026, according to a Tadawul statement.
The statement added that the vehicles will be delivered in batches within the first six months from the contract start date, taking into consideration global logistical circumstances and procedures beyond the control of both the agents and the company.
The contract is expected to have a positive impact on the company’s financials from the first quarter of 2026.
The share price of Theeb Rent a Car Co. declined by 0.79 percent to SR37.80.
