Ryanair is seeking an injunction to stop a proposed pilot strike that could see travel chaos for holidaymakers.
Irish pilots for the budget airline announced earlier this month that they would join strike action on August 22 and 23.
The staff will walk out from their jobs after 'directly-employed Ryanair pilots' based in Ireland voted 94% to back industrial action over a long-running dispute about pay and working conditions.
But now Ryanair are seeking an injunction against Fórsa - the parent union of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA) - arguing in High Court in Dublin that balloted strike action from some of their pilots was unlawful.
On Monday, August 19, arguments from the major Irish pilots' union and the airline in a debate over proposed strike action.
Ryanair claims that strike action would be in breach of an agreement both parties signed up to in the summer of 2018 through mediation in the Workplace Relations Commission through then-chairman Kieran Mulvey.
The airline also argues that Forsa's ballot and the subsequent notice of strike action was unlawful, and that the 2018 agreement is a "binding conclusion" and "over-arching".
Forsa is contesting Ryanair's application for an order which will prevent around 180 pilots based in Ireland from going on a 48-hour strike from midnight on Thursday.
British pilots employed by Ryanair have also announced strike action on August 22 and 23 as well as September 2 until Wednesday 4.
Members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) reported members voted by 4-1 to back industrial action on a 72% turnout.
Balpa said on Monday that Ryanair has "wasted time with unnecessary court action", meaning their chance to resolve the dispute involving their pilots has been lost.
Ryanair is seeking a High Court injunction to stop strike action by their UK pilots.
If the strike does go ahead, only staff with Ryanair contracts will take part.
Pilots on different contracts will continue to work as normal but is likely to cause major disruption to summer travel plans.
