Strike at Argentina's flagship airline hits 30,000 passengers

Strike at Argentina's flagship airline hits 30,000 passengers

Aerolineas Argentinas airplanes are pictured on the tarmac
Aerolineas Argentinas airplanes are pictured on the tarmac. Photo: Luis ROBAYO / AFP/File
Source: AFP

A strike by pilots and crew demanding salary increases in inflation-hit Argentina affected more than 30,000 passengers on Friday, according to the Aerolineas Argentinas airline and unions.

As workers walked off the job for the second time this month, President Javier Milei was preparing to sign a decree declaring the aviation sector an "essential service" to guarantee a minimum level of service during such strikes, his spokesman said.

The 24-hour strike led to the cancellation of 319 flights, mainly impacting domestic and regional travelers, but also hundreds of passengers heading to the United States and Europe.

Costa Rican engineer Alex Rodriguez, 53, was stranded while on his way to visit one of South America's top tourist attractions, the breathtaking Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil.

Read also

Boeing workers overwhelmingly vote to strike, reject contract

"We had planned the holiday a long time ago, about three months ago. We came from very far away, it was expensive and then everything fell through," he told AFP.

The general secretary of the Association of Aeronautical Personnel (APA), Juan Pablo Brey, said the purchasing power of aviation staff had fallen 40 percent since Milei took office in December.

Since taking office in December, Milei has applied a drastic austerity program in a bid to rein in chronic inflation and decades of government overspending.

However, annual inflation still stands at 236.7 percent and the economic slowdown sparked by the budget cuts has hit Argentines' pockets hard.

Brey told a local radio station that cabin crew earned 729,000 pesos ($730 at the official exchange rate) and ground crew members 500,000 pesos -- half what they could make at some low-cost companies.

Read also

Business groups ask Ottawa to prevent Air Canada strike

Aerolineas Argentinas said the strike was "untimely, abusive and out of context, promoted by union leaders in an irresponsible manner."

Milei's spokesman Manuel Adorni said that those striking would be "fined and sanctioned."

Milei had tried to privatize Aerolineas Argentinas as part of his sweeping economic reforms, but was forced to remove the company from the list of those to be privatized to get his measures through parliament earlier this year.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.