Advertisement

Vueling pilots go on strike, 246 flights cancelled

The Local Spain
The Local Spain - [email protected]
Vueling pilots go on strike, 246 flights cancelled
Photo: AFP

Pilots working for Spanish airline Vueling started a two-day strike Wednesday to demand better work conditions, leading to the cancellation of 246 flights, the low-cost company said.

Advertisement

The work stoppage will continue on Thursday and will take place again on  May 3rd and 4th next week, mostly affecting flights to or from Barcelona, the  airline's main hub.

Pilots are asking the airline, which belongs to British group IAG, to raise  their salaries to the same level as their competitors and give certain  benefits to those who will be transferred to bases abroad as the airline 
expands.   

"More than 120 pilots have left the company since the start of 2017, which  gives an idea of the malaise in the group," pilots' union SEPLA said in a statement.

According to Vueling, the strike will only affect 19 percent of flights, with 122 cancellations on Wednesday and 124 on Thursday.   

The airline transported 29.5 million passengers in 2017, a record, and made a profit of €117.3 million ($143 million), 239 percent more than the previous year, according to its annual report.

The group employs 915 pilots out of a total of 3,089 employees.

READ ALSO: Barcelona air traffic controllers announce summer of strikes

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also