Irish airline Aer Lingus group has announced it could suffer a 10-20 per cent reduction in operating profits following a cabin crew strike.

A strike called by the Impact trade union and the threat of two further days of industrial action on the 16th and 18th of June "has caused significant damage to Aer Lingus' trading and forward bookings for several months into the future", the airline said in a statement.

It said the impact has become particularly noticeable in recent days as a result of increased media attention. The severity of the impact would depend on how well the airline is able to restore customer confidence, it said.

Two hundred flights were disrupted as a result of the strike at the start of Ireland's bank holiday weekend on May 30th. Disaffected staff complained of erratic rosters which caused excessive fatigue.

They called for the introduction of a fixed roster system with five days on and three days off.