Industrial action by pilots in Western Australia has been called off because they might needed for evacuation flights as a cyclone threat looms large.

More than 200 Network Aviation and QantasLink pilots were set to walk off the job on Thursday for four days over a long-running pay dispute.

But the strike at the Qantas subsidiary was cancelled on Wednesday after the state’s Industrial Relations Minister Simone McGurk called the Australian Federation of Air Pilots and asked them to stay at work.

“Given the risk posed by ex-tropical cyclone Lincoln in north-west WA, the (federation) has suspended the protected industrial action planned for Thursday to Sunday to enable evacuation flights to potentially take place if needed,” a union spokeswoman said.

Senior industrial officer Chris Aikens said the pilots did not want to place the public at risk.

“The (federation) will monitor the situation regarding any possible future action once the current threat has passed,” he said.

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Lincoln crossed the Northern Territory coast late last week as a category one tropical cyclone from the Gulf of Carpentaria before moving inland across the Top End and into WA as a storm.

It tracked west-north-west across the Kimberley and moved off the coast on Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology noted.

But it’s expected to gather strength and move down the Pilbara coast and could redevelop into a tropical cyclone and make landfall as a category two system near Exmouth on Saturday.

McGurk said workers and residents may need to be evacuated and Network Aviation was likely to be called on to handle the flights.

“While I respect the right of the union to take protected industrial action, given these unique circumstances, I expressed my view that a pause in industrial action would be welcomed,” she said.

Qantas Group said it would contact customers whose flights for Thursday were rescheduled because of the strike if any changes are made.