Dispute grounds bulk of Aer Lingus fleet
Virtually the entire Aer Lingus fleet is being grounded by cabin crew staging a one-day strike over pay.
The airline is likely to operate only 15 out of about 160 scheduled flights.
Meanwhile, British Midland will be operating just four out of 16 flights across the Irish Sea because of a strike by ground staff.
About 1,300 Aer Lingus cabin crew, members of the Impact trade union, are to follow Wednesday's action with another one-day strike next Friday.
Only scheduled flights involving aircraft returning to Ireland from abroad were going ahead, though one domestic flight between Shannon and Dublin was also due to operate.
In an escalation of the dispute, next Friday's strike is to be followed by a further two the next week unless a settlement on pay and conditions is reached, a spokesman for Impact said.
He added: "Cabin crew do not want this strike but further disruption seems likely unless Aer Lingus is prepared to move off its position that we should simply accept proposals that 98% of cabin crew have rejected."
Meanwhile, ongoing strike action by British Midland ground staff is set to cause further delays and cancellations.
About 160 baggage handlers and check-in staff at the airport went on indefinite strike at 6pm on Monday.
The workers claim compensation terms for their transfer to Gatwick Haulage International Ltd are unsatisfactory.
