Ryanair to cancel 24 flights on Friday due to Ireland pilots strike

DUBLIN, July 17 (Reuters) - Ryanair plans to cancel 24 flights between Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) and Britain on Friday due to a strike by its Ireland-based pilots, the second of three planned for July, Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers said on Tuesday.

Ryanair described the strikes as regrettable and said that the pilots involved - around 100 of 350 its pilots in Ireland - had refused to take part in a working group to resolve their complaints.

The pilots are demanding a more transparent system of pay, promotions and transfers as they aim to limit what the FORSA/IALPA union says is management's excessive discretion over pilots’ careers.

The pilots are also planning to strike on July 24.

Cabin crew in four countries have announced plans to strike on July 25 and 26 and several other pilot unions are considering industrial action to demand improved conditions.

Ryanair operates in 37 countries, carried 130 million passengers last year and flies around 2,300 flights per day during its peak summer season.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; editing by Jason Neely)