Dispute between pilot and Aer Lingus is settled

High Court reporters

A dispute between Aer Lingus and one of its pilots, who was suspended from the company's now closed Manchester base, has been resolved, the High Court has heard.

Captain Ian Blair was suspended on pay last November to allow for an investigation into a complaint that he had required cabin crew, who were on a "positioning flight" from Barbados to Manchester, to sit in economy rather than business class.

There were no passengers on the flight.

There had been industrial action by Aer Lingus cabin crew in Manchester at this time for higher pay.

The cabin crew on the Barbados flight did not take part in the industrial action.

The company brought disciplinary proceedings against him, claiming he did not comply with an instruction from a chief operations officer to allow the cabin crew to sit in business class.

He then brought High Court proceedings against Aer Lingus Ltd and Aer Lingus UK Ltd over what he said was the airline's insistence that he would have to remain in the UK while those disciplinary proceedings against him continued, even though he said it had been agreed he would transfer to Dublin.

He later brought a separate court application for an order that he be allowed to sit a retraining course for pilots transferred from Manchester to Dublin.

On Tuesday, Mairéad McKenna SC, for Aer Lingus, told Justice Brian Cregan that talks between the sides had been successful, and the entire case could be struck out.

The judge struck the case out.