Members of the Spanish Union of Airline Pilots (SEPLA) are set to go on strike during the year's busiest holiday period, threatening travel chaos for many UK tourists. The union's walkout could have an impact on many airlines, including Air Nostrum, Air Europa, Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling, Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian, Swiftair, Plus Ultra, Jet 2, Eurowings and Evelop.
Since international air travel restarted following the Coronavirus lockdowns, unions covering pilots, ground crew and flight attendants have called strikes due to decreasing working conditions and stalling pay. However, according to Simple Flying, the coming SEPLA strike is in "protest against the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agency's application of a "minimum services" law."
The legislation "requires pilots report to work to service at a minimum 90 per cent of scheduled flights even while engaged in labour action to protest pay rates."
Air traffic controllers, flight attendants and ground staff could also join the strike action, according to a report by the Majorca Daily Bulletin. Air Europa has also recently been forced to cancel 114 flights due to industrial action, according to claims made by SEPLA.
The pilots cooperated with the airline during Covid furloughs. But now, as travel is back to its pre-Covid level and with the airline increasing ticket prices by 54 per cent over the past year, staff are frustrated that they are still imposing pay cuts.
What dates will be impacted?
Travel will be impacted on May 26, 29 and 30, plus June 1 and 2 at all Spanish bases. For everyone travelling to and from Spain on these dates, the current advice is to keep up to date with the latest travel news.
According to Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, trips to Spain are likely to be disrupted this summer, based on the number of issues endured by passengers last year.
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Speaking to The Mirror, he said: "The UK's most popular foreign holiday destination is perhaps unsurprisingly one of the regions where travellers are most likely to experience disruptions to their plans, in part down to the sheer volume of flights. Between May 7 and June 6 2022, a huge 110 flights to Spain were cancelled, and travellers should prepare for a similar story this summer."
