The union representing Ireland-based Ryanair pilots suspended upcoming strike action on Sunday after the no-frills airline agreed to talks.

The Irish carrier on Friday offered to recognise unions for the first time after pilots in Ireland, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal threatened walkouts, throwing Christmas travel plans into chaos.

The airline said Saturday it was prepared to meet representatives from Impact, to which the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA) is affiliated, on Tuesday in a bid to avert the strike.

Impact initially responded on Sunday by saying it would not suspend the walk-out until after meeting Ryanair, but announced in a later statement that the strike was off.

"The union has agreed to meet management on Tuesday evening, but says it is available to meet sooner," it said, adding that it had asked Ryanair to release its pilot representatives to prepare for and attend the meeting.