Spanish airspace reopens after strike
A two-day strike by air traffic controllers has been called off, after the prime minister declared a state of emergency and threatened striking workers with jail.
The 15-day state of emergency – the first time such a measure has been declared in Spain since after the Franco dictatorship fell – was called on Saturday by the Spanish government. Afterwards, the army was sent in to run the air control towers and avoid disruptions.
This move, however, did little to contain the widespread chaos over the weekend. Airports were closed and hundreds of thousands of passengers were stuck in endless queues in the overcrowded airports.
More than 2,600 flights were cancelled on Saturday alone, and on Sunday, even with the intervention of the army, 165 flights did not take off.
A press officer from Madrid Barajas Airport told The Fresh Outlook: “The situation at the moment is quite good, it is quickly going back to normal.
“By 2pm [Sunday], 1648 flights went through. The cancellations were 40, but were all due to bad weather conditions, not to the strike. Still, the usual standard is about 40 flights cancelled in a day, so it's the norm.”
Asked about the situation of the strikers, he said: “The strike has been called off already. Since Saturday afternoon, everybody is back to work.”
The disruptions started last Friday after air traffic controllers called a strike, causing vast areas of Spanish airspace to become no-go areas.
AENA, the Spanish Airports and Airspace Network, has since opened an inquiry on 442 of its air controllers, out of a total number of 2,200, and the airports and air control towers will remain under military supervision for the next two weeks.
To avoid possible disruptions over the upcoming Christmas period, the government expressed the possibility of keeping the state of emergency in place. Prime minister Zapatero told a press conference on Sunday: “Depending on how the circumstances evolve, the government will take the appropriate decision on extending the measure.”
Speaking at the ceremony for the celebration of the 32nd year of the Spanish constitution, he added:
“The state of emergency solved the crisis in 24 hours.” One of his collaborators, Jose Blanco, has called for the operators to “turn the page”, and keep the negotiation tables open on the agreements with the air personnel.
Although the situation in Spanish airports is now more stable, passengers are still suggested to contact the air companies to get information on their flights before setting off to the airport.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
This piece is from a bunch of old articles published by The Fresh Outlook, dated December 2010, that had not been posted here yet.
The 15-day state of emergency – the first time such a measure has been declared in Spain since after the Franco dictatorship fell – was called on Saturday by the Spanish government. Afterwards, the army was sent in to run the air control towers and avoid disruptions.
This move, however, did little to contain the widespread chaos over the weekend. Airports were closed and hundreds of thousands of passengers were stuck in endless queues in the overcrowded airports.
More than 2,600 flights were cancelled on Saturday alone, and on Sunday, even with the intervention of the army, 165 flights did not take off.
A press officer from Madrid Barajas Airport told The Fresh Outlook: “The situation at the moment is quite good, it is quickly going back to normal.
“By 2pm [Sunday], 1648 flights went through. The cancellations were 40, but were all due to bad weather conditions, not to the strike. Still, the usual standard is about 40 flights cancelled in a day, so it's the norm.”
Asked about the situation of the strikers, he said: “The strike has been called off already. Since Saturday afternoon, everybody is back to work.”
The disruptions started last Friday after air traffic controllers called a strike, causing vast areas of Spanish airspace to become no-go areas.
AENA, the Spanish Airports and Airspace Network, has since opened an inquiry on 442 of its air controllers, out of a total number of 2,200, and the airports and air control towers will remain under military supervision for the next two weeks.
To avoid possible disruptions over the upcoming Christmas period, the government expressed the possibility of keeping the state of emergency in place. Prime minister Zapatero told a press conference on Sunday: “Depending on how the circumstances evolve, the government will take the appropriate decision on extending the measure.”
Speaking at the ceremony for the celebration of the 32nd year of the Spanish constitution, he added:
“The state of emergency solved the crisis in 24 hours.” One of his collaborators, Jose Blanco, has called for the operators to “turn the page”, and keep the negotiation tables open on the agreements with the air personnel.
Although the situation in Spanish airports is now more stable, passengers are still suggested to contact the air companies to get information on their flights before setting off to the airport.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
This piece is from a bunch of old articles published by The Fresh Outlook, dated December 2010, that had not been posted here yet.