New talks may end Aer Lingus dispute

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A new round of talks between Aer Lingus management and union officials may soon end an ongoing dispute involving the Irish airline's pilots.

The Belfast Telegraph said Sunday the meeting at the Labor Relations Commission comes as Aer Lingus officials have stuck to their stance that any pilots unwilling to train pilot recruits would be suspended.

So far seven of the airline's pilots have been suspended after refusing to train pilots for the airline's new Northern Ireland hub in Belfast.

IMPACT official Michael Landers said the new round of talks would go as long as needed to reach a fair compromise on the controversial matter.

"We'll give whatever it takes and we're here for as long it takes, and we want to reach a solution for this -- we want to reach an agreement with Aer Lingus on the outstanding issues relating to the Belfast base," he told the Telegraph.

"We're certainly coming here just for show or for form or anything like that."