Sept. 28 (UPI) -- More than 40,000 Ryanair passengers had their flights delayed or canceled Friday as the low-cost airline's employees went on another labor strike.
About 2,000 Ryanair employees went on strike Friday throughout Europe, cancelling a total of 250 flights and impacting hundreds of passengers per flight.
Employees, mostly cabin crew, are unhappy about their labor contracts.
Ryanair's largest hub, Stansted Airport in London, had 20 flight cancellations alone.
Employees want contracts in the countries where they live rather than working under Irish law.
The Ireland-based airline called the strike "regrettable and unjustified."
"Progress is being impeded by the interference of competitor airline pilots and cabin crew who are conspiring to call repeated and unnecessary strikes, which are disrupting Ryanair's customers and damaging our business for the benefit of their legacy airline employees," said CEO Michael O'Leary.
O'Leary said the company has offered local contracts, but a Dutch pilots union said it was only a verbal contract and wasn't in writing. They wanted pensions and sick pay that were more in line with the laws of their country.
The majority of Ryanair pilots and cabin crew are not supporting the strikes, O'Leary said. Ryanair, which flies 400,000 passengers a day in 37 markets, said 90 percent of its flights would operate normally Friday.
The carrier said passengers affected by the cancellations will get replacement flights, accommodations and meals. They are also entitled to compensation under European air passengers' rights rules.
Friday's is the latest in a series of strikes by Ryanair employees over the last year.
