Finnair Pilots Put Foot Down on Training as Part of Labour Dispute

Kristian Rintala, the chair of the Finnish Air Line Pilots' Association (SLL), says that the training ban will continue until a new labour contract for Finnair pilots is signed.

“Finnair trainers will only train their own pilots on flight simulators or in the cockpit,” he says.

Rintala says that Finnair pilots have been prepared to train pilots outside the company. However, they were ready to offer additional training only after an agreement on outsourcing the workforce had been agreed upon.

”The company required us to train pilots who, once they complete their training, would have resulted in an increase in our pilots being furloughed or being made redundant,” says Rintala.

However, Taneli Hassinen of Finnair’s communications department says that training would be for the company FinnComm, which needed a crew to fly the Embraer 170 aircraft.

”We are renting out two aircraft to FinnComm. This is not a question of someone else coming to fly Finnair planes. We don’t have use for those aircraft so we are going to rent them out,” he says.

Finnair: Effects Marginal

Hassinen adds that the effect of the training ban on Finnair is marginal. The crew needed for the aircraft rented to FinnComm has already been trained.

Hassinen says that trainers for other pilots will have to be found elsewhere. He says the matter is in FinnComm's hands.

The pilots are also threatening a strike on the 16th of this month unless agreement on a new contract is reached. An overtime ban declared by the pilots' union has been in force since Saturday.

Hassinen adds that it is difficult to assess the impact the labour dispute will have on Finnair’s business.

”Most likely we’ll experience some loss in sales during the period of the strike.”