Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus has announced plans to permanently close its cabin crew base at Shannon Airport.

The airline hasn't flown in or out of Shannon since April 2020 because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Employees at Shannon have been laid off without pay since March 2021 but were expected to go back to work in June.

Instead, 81 cabin crew will be offered either enhanced severance pay or, if a slot is available, transfer to Dublin. An additional 45 ground staff at Shannon will remain laid off.

Aer Lingus also has said that it plans to close its base at Cork Airport from September to late November 2021 and lay off its nearly 200 employees based there.

The airline said in a statement:

“Aer Lingus has commenced discussions with Unions representing employees in Aer Lingus regarding both the immediate and structural changes that need to be implemented.”

In statements of their own, trade unions Forsa and SIPTU, along with Air Lines Pilots Association IALPA, blamed the Irish government for the loss of jobs.

Forsa spokesperson Ashley Connolly said:

“Since Covid struck, we have fought hard to maintain links between staff and their employer so that Aer Lingus and other airlines are ready to bounce back once international travel starts to resume. The Government needs to decide if the crisis in this vital industry is to be permanent or temporary. Only the State has the power and resources to preserve Ireland’s vital international connectivity �" the connectivity that supports thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs �" over the coming months, and possibly years."