Ryanair slams BAA strikes

RYANAIR has said they will be forced to cancel up to 300 flights per day if BAA strikes go ahead.

The budget airline, which has a base a Stansted Airport, believes the travel plans of up to 50,000 passengers per day will be affected.

Ryanair’s Daniel de Carvalho said: “There is no justification for any strikes by these selfish and underworked Unite members at a time when traffic at BAA’s airports is falling and they are even less busy than they were last year.

“Unite must not be allowed to blackmail ordinary passengers or their families by striking during the peak holiday season.

“If the Unite union closes the BAA airports, then they should be told in no uncertain terms that pay freeze will immediately follow.”

The airline reports that traffic at BAA’s airports fell 4 per cent in 2009, and has fallen again by over 6 per cent in the first half of 2010.