February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
RTE, meanwhile, has reported that Transport Minister Martin Cullen was to have “intensive consultations” with unions at Aer Lingus over how the airline will be operated and funded.
The move toward consultation, and away from a final decision, followed reports in Irish newspapers that pointed to dismay among union leaders that the government would move to at least partly privatize Aer Lingus without formally consulting with them. Now a series of meetings between Cullen and union leaders is to take place, the first of them this week.
Cullen is not expected to report back to the cabinet until the end of January, by which time Aer Lingus’ operational plans for the high summer season will be well advanced.
Aer Lingus, though currently profitable, faces potentially serious problems if it does not secure about