The airline Iberia confirmed today that it will cancel 75% of its flights to and from Porto with various Spanish airports, while the cancellation rate will be 50% for flights to and from Lisbon.
According to a statement from Air Europa, the company will suspend all of its sixteen flights to and from Portugal, with all departures and arrivals at Madrid-Barajas Airport, which had eight flights (four outbound and four return) to Lisbon and another eight to Porto.
Air Europa informed affected passengers that they can change their travel dates free of charge between December 9 and 18, modify their routes, request a voucher, or obtain a ticket refund.
Four aviation sector unions issued a joint position today expressing solidarity with Portuguese workers in the general strike on Thursday, criticizing the government’s draft labor reform project.
In a joint statement, the Civil Aviation Pilots’ Union (SPAC), the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC), the Aviation and Airports Workers Union (Sitava), and the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Union (Sitema) asserted that the “Work XXI” draft project represents “a civilizational setback.”
Meanwhile, TAP’s CEO, Luís Rodrigues, assured today that the airline is prepared for the general strike scheduled for Thursday, expecting to operate one-third of the service, with the primary effort being to avoid passenger disruption.
The general strike on December 11, called by CGTP and UGT against the proposed revision of the Labor Code, will be the first joint stoppage by the two unions since June 2013, when Portugal was under ‘troika’ intervention.
The proposed changes in the government’s labor legislation reform target various areas, such as parenting, dismissals, extension of contract terms, and sectors that will be covered by minimum services in the event of a strike.
