A wave of cancelled flights hits Spanish aviation. After Ryanair, EasyJet, Iberia Express also announces strikes. More than 100 flights have been cancelled since August. Until this date, several budget flight staff were on strike for better wages and conditions in Spain.
On the first day of the strike, Iberia Express cancelled eight flights on Sunday. The strikes were previously announced by the aviation sector unions USO. The cancelled flights were supposed to go to Madrid from Gran Canaria, Mallorca, Santiago and Seville yesterday.
A large part of Iberia Express flights will continue
Iberia Express cabin crew strike for better wages. The Spanish company said it plans to operate 32-85% of its scheduled flights as so-called ‘minimum services’. The flights that continue will take place on time, the Iberia subsidiary reports.
On Sunday there were 1,100 victims because of the cancelled flights. However, 84% of them managed to rebook their flight in order to still arrive at their destination. The other passengers have received their money back.
Requirements of the aviation sector for Spanish Iberia Express
USO has announced that it will cancel the announced strike, which will in principle last until September 6, if the company agrees to a wage increase of 6.5% with retroactive effect to 2021. However, for the time being, USO and Iberia Express are far from agreeing. Iberia finds the union’s demands “disproportionate” as they say wage increases have indeed taken place.
EasyJet is approaching 90 cancellations in August
EasyJet is also still on strike in Spain. As a result, 12 flights were cancelled on Sunday, 4 in Barcelona and 8 at Palma de Mallorca. In total, 87 EasyJet flights have already been cancelled in Spain due to the strikes. This airline also previously promised to carry out a large part of the flights as so-called ‘minimum services’.
British airline pilots are demanding the reimbursement of their salaries and the restoration of pre-pandemic working conditions. These negotiations are also very difficult because there is hardly any communication and the earlier proposals of the union have been rejected. Furthermore, EasyJet’s strikes are planned for August 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29.
Ryanair goes on strike for five months
Ryanair also announced strikes in August. From August 15, the low-cost airline will already be cancelling flights from, to and within Spain. Furthermore, this strike period will span over 5 months and is expected to end on January 7, 2023. Moreover, the airports of Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Málaga and Madrid have suffered the most from delays and cancellations.
