Ryanair pilots last night suspended a planned one-day strike planned for Wednesday.
The move came as trade union Impact said that the Irish carrier’s management had agreed to recognise it as the representative of Irish-based pilots.
Impact said that it had agreed to meet the airline’s management on Tuesday evening.
The development will ease worries for passengers planning to fly during the busy Christmas period.
Members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) voted last week in favour of industrial action. They were joined by union colleagues in Portugal, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Ryanair offered to recognise unions for the first time in its 32-year history on Friday, hoping to avoid strikes.
But it warned that the unions must “establish committees of Ryanair pilots .. as Ryanair will not engage with pilots who fly for competitor airlines”.
It is the first time Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has extended such an invitation to union leaders in the 32 years the company has been flying.