In November 2025 Aer Lingus confirmed to SIPTU that it intends to outsource the work of about 60 drivers, who deliver meals to its aircraft in Dublin Airport. Production of onboard meals for the Dublin-based operations was outsourced back in 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic, to DNATA, which is part of the Emirates aviation group. The drivers had remained employees of Aer Lingus.
Following local discussions and meetings with the company three options were presented to our members:
(1) transferring over to DNATA under transfer of undertakings regulations (TUPE);
(2) redeployment elsewhere within Aer Lingus;
(3) taking voluntary redundancy.
Following local discussions the following severance package was put to a ballot of our members in January 2026, with 67% of our members voting in favour of accepting this package:
The terms are as follows:
- Five weeks’ pay per completed year service (inclusive of statutory redundancy entitlement) to a maximum of 104 weeks’ pay.
- In addition, a service bonus/orderly handover payment of:
(a) €5,000 to be paid to those Eligible Employees with less than 5 years of continuous service as at 24th March 2026.
(b) €10,000 to be paid to those Eligible Employees with more than 5 years and less than 15 years continuous service as at 24th March 2026.
(c) €15,000 to be paid to those Eligible Employees with more than 15 years’ continuous service as at 24th March 2026.
Our members’ employment is due to end in early June 2026.