Ryanair said it is “disappointed” with the planned industrial action.

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has announced its UK-based Ryanair pilots have voted for two days of strike action. Members of the BALPA pilots' union backed walkouts by a majority of 80% on a turnout of 72%. The union said “decades of Ryanair refusing to deal with unions” had led to members voting for a 48-hour strike beginning on 22 August and a 72-hour strike from 2 September. In a statement, it said: “Firstly, a management that apparently doesn’t understand how to work with unions, and secondly a company that doesn’t have a number of standard agreements that any union would reasonably expect in any workplace.” “We have had no formal offer from Ryanair and it is imperative that we resolve this dispute urgently to avoid strike action,” said Balpa’s general secretary, Brian Strutton. “No pilot wants to spoil the public’s travel plans but at the moment it seems we have no choice.” In a statement, Ryanair said it is “disappointed” with the planned industrial action. The strike “has the support of less than 30% of Ryanair’s UK pilots,” the airline said. It also said that 70% of Ryanair’s UK pilots are not members of BALPA, or did not vote in the ballot. “Balpa have no mandate to disrupt our customers’ holidays and flights, particularly at a time when UK pilots are facing job losses due to the Boeing MAX delivery delays, and the threat of a no deal Brexit on 31 October,” Ryanair said. "We have written to BALPA asking them to return to talks, and we apologise sincerely to customers for any uncertainty that BALPA’s ballot may cause them."