Ireland’s largest hotel operator has said it has not seen any negative impact, as yet, from the ongoing pilot pay dispute at Aer Lingus, which has resulted in nearly 400 flight cancellations in recent weeks.
The Dalata Hotel Group is the largest hotel operator in the Irish market, through its ownership of the Clayton and Maldron hotel chains. The group is also a big player in the UK market and has a growing presence in continental Europe.
Airlines like Aer Lingus and Ryanair would be a significant conduit for Dalata in that many visitors to Ireland would travel with one or other airline and would stay at Dalata properties; while many Irish-based Aer Lingus passengers would link to Dalata hotels in the UK and elsewhere.
Dalata Hotel Group chief executive, Dermot Crowley, said: “Within the Irish market, we are not yet seeing any material impact of industrial action at Aer Lingus, though any prolonged dispute presents risk to the wider industry in Ireland.”
Mr Crowley was speaking on the back of Dalata’s latest trading update – covering the first half of the year – which noted a strong pick-up in trading performance in May and June, following a challenging start to the year.
