Irish airport sector hit by further redundancies

It is thought that over 200 jobs are under threat at Dublin Airport following reports that Servisair has issued protective redundancy notices to workers at the site.

While the company confirmed that the notices had been served, it would not elaborate as to the reasons behind the development, thought to be directly linked with restructuring talks held only 24 hours previous to the move.

A company spokesperson described the losses as owing to the “significant drop in air traffic” the airport had experienced since the 11 September terror attacks, but trade union SIPTU said that was dismayed at the news, as they had been told that such redundancies were to be on a voluntary basis.

The union is concerned that the job losses could swiftly escalate and affect several other sites, including Cork, Shannon and Belfast airports, where a total of 320 Servisair workers are currently employed.

Irish airline Aer Lingus is also to make around 2,000 people redundant after the company saw transatlantic bookings fall to just 20 per cent of their previous volume following the events of 11 September. The carrier is currently in crisis talks to thrash out a survival plan, with a report due out on Thursday. (CL)