Ryanair promises flights will operate 'as scheduled' today and tomorrow as it slams 'unreasonable' pilots demanding £375,000 A YEAR after High Court rules strike WILL go ahead

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Ryanair has promised flights will operate as usual today and tomorrow despite failing to stop its 'unreasonable' pilots going on strike and risk ruining summer holidays for thousands. 

The airline lost its last-minute High Court bid to block the strike, just seven hours before some of its UK pilots were due to stage a 24-hour walkout that began at midnight. 

Bosses slammed pilots for casting doubt on the getaways of thousands of families because they want their salaries doubled from £170,000 to £375,000 a year. 

But they insisted all passengers should go to their airports as they expect planes to take off on time, but could not rule out 'some small delays'.

In a scathing statement, Ryanair's spokesman said: 'British pilots earning six figure annual salaries should not be threatening the holiday flights of thousands of British passengers and their families - very few of whom earn over £170,000 per annum.'

Elsewhere the airline successfully got an order in Dublin to prevent around 180 pilots based in Ireland from going on a separate 48-hour strike from midnight.    

Passengers wait to check in at Barcelona El Prat Airport in August 2018, as Ryanair pilots in  European countries staged a strike that prompted the airline carrier to cancel 400 flights

The proceedings in London and Dublin took place before planned action by UK pilot members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) from midnight this morning. 

Experts believe the planned strikes could disrupt the holiday plans of up to 250,000 passengers booked on at least 1,714 Ryanair flights due to depart from UK airports. 

There is currently no list of flights affected, with Ryanair officials insisting there will only be minor delays throughout Thursday and Friday.  

Passengers told of their concern at the planned 48-hour strike, with Kayla Flynn tweeting: 'I'd be better off swimming to Lanzarote at this rate.'

Another, Steve Webster, said: 'Can you tell me how you will not completely ruin two years of wedding planning for me, my wife and 75 guests with strike action?' 

Ryanair passengers face delays previously at London Stansted Airport in Essex in June 2014

One pilot on a package of £158,042 a year is said to be demanding a rise which would push up their total package to £349,922 in 2021.

The strike has been backed by around 350 of the airline's 1,250 UK-based pilots. Another walkout is due to take place between September 2 and September 4.

In London today, after Ryanair's application was rejected, Balpa said it had responded to their legal victory by 'offering an olive branch to Ryanair - a framework to allow constructive negotiations to take place and if agreed by Ryanair will avoid the need for strikes'.

Lawyers representing the airline at the High Court in London had asked the judge to grant an injunction at a hearing.

Mrs Justice Lambert was told that members of the Balpa planned industrial action, and in early September.

Barrister Paul Gott QC, who was leading Ryanair's legal team, told the judge, in a written case outline, that strike action could be 'enormously disruptive'.

He said Ryanair would suffer 'significant reputational' damage.

Mr Gott said Balpa had refused an invite to suspend strike action. He said Ryanair had no 'realistic alternative' but to ask for a 'restraining' order.

Barrister Andrew Burns QC, who is leading Balpa's legal team, said, in a written case outline, that Ryanair's application should be dismissed.

Mr Gott said Balpa had not conducted a ballot which complied with the requirements of labour relations legislation.

He said the union had not complied with requirements to: 'accord a vote equally to all members', specify when industrial action was expected to take place, explain how figures set out in a strike notice were arrived at.

Mr Burns said Ryanair was raising 'trivial and immaterial technicalities'. 

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is pictured in October last year. Ryanair said the union 'should not be disrupting the return holiday flights of UK families later this week'

He said it was 'readily apparent' that Balpa had 'substantially complied' with legislative obligations.

In Ireland, a trial, which began in Dublin on Monday, heard from senior counsel for the airline, and the union representing the pilots, Forsa, the parent union of the Irish Airline Pilots Association (Ialpa).

Justice McDonald said he would restrain Forsa 'from directly or indirectly, organising, directing or endorsing their members to participate in a strike on August 22 and 23, 2019'.

The legal arguments surrounded whether an agreement signed in the summer of 2018 through mediation at the Workplace Relations Commission was an 'over-arching agreement' that covered pay conditions as well as seniority and annual leave.

Ryanair argued that the 2018 agreement covered issues surrounding salary, however Forsa and a number of named pilots say that the previous agreement only covered the issues that arose at that particular time. 

Justice McDonald told Dublin High Court that he would 'restrain the immediate industrial action' of around 180 pilots in Ireland.

Martin Hayden SC, appearing for the airline, told the court in Dublin he found it 'extraordinary' that the union claimed the 2018 agreement signed by both parties does not cover pay, and the union had shown 'complete indifference' to resolving the dispute which will affect 'hundreds of customers'.

Forsa told the court that Ryanair has been 'curt and dismissive' of a 30-page proposal it submitted to the company on pay and conditions, and at one point stated that the submission had 'no basis in reality'.

Their affidavit stated that Ryanair has no basis to apply for an injunction to stop strike action, as the previous agreement signed by both parties in summer 2018 was 'not a full collective agreement'.

Balpa said earlier this week their chance to resolve the dispute involving pilots had been lost because Ryanair 'has wasted time with unnecessary court action'.

It added: 'Instead Ryanair is relying on legal technicalities to try to persuade the High Court to block the strike.'

Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: 'Ryanair pilots in the UK have a serious dispute with their company which will not be resolved by raising legal technicalities in the High Court.

'Their attempt to block lawful strike action is just another demonstration of the bullying tactics the airline appears to favour.

'It means all the time that could have been used to try to find a resolution will now be spent preparing for the court action. 

'It's also worrying to see Ryanair continue to sell tickets for strike days – are they prepared to offer compensation to passengers if they are affected? I think they should tell passengers exactly where they stand.' 

However, a senior Ryanair insider told the Daily Telegraph that the airline had contingency plans in place to most of its UK flights even if the legal action failed. 

A Ryanair spokesman said: 'Ryanair regrets the decision by less than 30 per cent of our highly paid UK pilots to vote for strikes on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 August, in support of unreasonable pay demands that captains pay be doubled from a current £170,000 per annum to over £375,700 per annum, just nine weeks before Brexit, which could severely damage Ryanair's business and UK pilot jobs.

Disruption is set to continue for the rest of the summer holidays, with a series of strikes

'Ryanair applied today to the London High Court for an injunction to prevent this unjustified strike by a small number of pilots going ahead during the last week of the UK school holidays. 

'However thanks to the great work and volunteerism of the vast majority of our UK based pilots, Ryanair now expects to operate its full schedule of flights to/from our UK airports on Thursday 22 and Friday 23. 

'We do not expect significant disruptions on Thursday or Friday, however we cannot rule out some small flight delays and/or flight changes. 

'We are working hard with our pilot teams to minimise any such delays for our customers and their families.

'All passengers scheduled to travel on flights to/from UK airports on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 August should arrive at their departure airport as normal and they can expect their scheduled Ryanair flight to depart on time.

Ryanair bosses today criticised their 'highly paid UK pilots' for 'unreasonable' pay demands that captains' salaries be doubled from £170,000 to £375,700 per year

'We sincerely thank the vast majority of our UK based pilots for volunteering to fly on Thursday and Friday so that we can minimise disruptions to our customers and their families during the last week of the school holidays. 

'We again call on the Balpa union and this small minority of UK pilots to return to mediation, as they are required to under our recognition agreement. 

'British pilots earning six figure annual salaries should not be threatening the holiday flights of thousands of British passengers and their families - very few of whom earn over £170,000 per annum.'

Members of Balpa voted by four to one to back a campaign of action on a 72 per cent turnout.

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