The cessation of cabin crew will have little effect, except on flights from Belgium, where minimum services do not exist.
Ryanair decided this Friday, the first day of the Irish airline’s cabin crew (TCP) strike, to operate 100% of its scheduled flights in Spain, ignoring announced strikes referring to minimum services. Specifically, the company had planned a total of 438 flights operated by Spanish crews this Friday, all of which have been notified as minimum services, according to union sources. In addition, the company has called up 80% more staff than on a normal day to run “imaginary” services (services that take place within the airport).
The USO and Sitcpla unions called a strike on June 24, 25, 26 and 30 and July 1 and 2 to improve the conditions of the TCP at the airline’s ten bases in Spain. The Ministry of Transport has reported that the strike will affect 2,649 operations and about 440,000 passengers at ten Spanish airports, setting minimum services that could reach up to 82% of scheduled flights in some cases.
But the unions denounce that Ryanair “apparently” does not comply with the minimum services decree issued by the ministry, as the airline wants to operate 100% of its scheduled flights. The head of Flight of the USO Air Sector, Ernesto Iglesias, criticized the measure imposed by the company: “They have curtailed and completely curtailed our right to strike.” In statements to the media, Iglesias described the resolution of minimum services around 80% of flights as “abuse” with arguments “as strange” as the NATO summit in Madrid the following week.
If the situation continues like this, the strike will have little impact on flights entering or leaving Spain, except those with destination or origin in Belgium, where there is no law guaranteeing minimum services and the airline has to suspend hundreds of flights. Between Friday and Sunday alone, the strike forced Ryanair to cancel 127 flights arriving or departing from Charleroi airport (south of Brussels), where most of its operations are concentrated in the country.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
