General Industry

Air Europa Pilots In Spain Announce Two-Week Strike From 19 June

By Dave Simpson
Air Europa Pilots In Spain Announce Two-Week Strike From 19 June

Pilots at Spain's beleaguered airline Air Europa will go on strike between 19 June and 2 July following a breakdown in salary negotiations, the country's main pilots union, SEPLA, said in a statement late on Thursday 15 June.

Details

Pilots said the company reneged on a pre-agreement reached on 8 June and did not meet salary and working condition demands. Air Europa's salary proposals for pilots were equivalent to those at a low-cost airline, the union said in the statement.

A spokesperson at Air Europa said the company was open to keep negotiating.

Spain forces airlines and pilots to maintain a minimum number of flights during strikes, resulting in fewer restrictions compared to other countries.

Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia owner International Airlines Group in February agreed to buy the remaining 80% of Air Europa it did not already own from Spain's Globalia for €400 million.

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The deal still needs regulatory approval from Brussels and a first attempt to buy the airline in 2021 failed after it was rejected by regulators on concerns about a lack of competition on Latin American routes.

Additional Information

The airline, which was bailed out by the government in 2020 with a €475 million loan, will maintain its brand but will be managed by Iberia.

Ryanair Eyes Slots IAG May Hand Over As Remedies In Air Europa Purchase - Report

The above news follows news from earlier this week that Ryanair is keen to buy the slots International Consolidated Airlines Group may be forced to dispose to get its planned acquisition of Air Europa approved by the European antitrust regulator, Cinco Dias newspaper reported on Monday 12 June.

Read More: Ryanair Eyes Slots IAG May Hand Over As Remedies In Air Europa Purchase - Report

News by Reuters, edited by Hospitality Ireland. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.