2024-01-07 19:50:07
Updated Sunday, January 7, 2024 – 18:50
The airline estimates this Sunday’s tracking at 20%, higher than in previous days, and appeals to dialogue
Passenger queues at the Loiu airport, in Vizcaya.EFE
The last day of the strike of Iberia’s ground handling services will take place this Monday, after a weekend in which the mobilization has hardly caused any problems and punctuality has always been maintained at values above of 75%. The unions assured that they will call a new strike if Iberia does not take action, while the group appealed for dialogue.
On Sunday morning, the head of the UGT Air Sector, Chema Pérez, and his CCOO counterpart, Paloma Gallardo, warned in statements to Efe that “if there is no movement on the part of the company, we will call a new strike again.” . “Given the threat from the unions, expressed this morning, to carry out new strikes of ground services in the coming days, Iberia reiterates that the strike is not the solution,” the company later responded through a press release. . “The only way to find a way out that does not harm passengers or workers is dialogue.”
Throughout Sunday, punctuality was 82% and follow-up was 20.2%, slightly higher than the previous days.
The airline also details that punctuality this Saturday was 83% throughout the network. For this Sunday, the Iberia Group has scheduled 539 flightsand at this time they have already been done 320. Likewise, it details that they are working to regularize all the suitcases that could not be loaded on Saturday in Bilbao, Barcelona and Gran Canaria to send them to customers as soon as possible.
Delays and “suitcase chaos” in Bilbao
But this third day of strike is causing “delays of more than two hours and chaos of suitcases” this Sunday at the Bilbao airport, union sources have informed EFE. This morning “started in the same vein as the two previous days of the strike” and, as there are many more flights scheduled for today from Loiu returning from the Christmas holidays, “it’s going to be a very complicated day,” they predicted.
At 10 hours some flights were already accumulating more than two and a half hours late. Among those affected this morning they mentioned those whose destination was Madrid, Malaga and Barcelona. According to the organizing organizationsSaturday’s day in Loiu ended with 17 flights canceled and the accumulation of delays was such that at the last minute a flight to Barcelona had to be diverted.
For this reason, the unions predict that since there are more scheduled flights today, there will be many more people with suitcases trying to check-in and board and the problems will be greater.
45,660 passengers affected in four days
Iberia has thanked “the understanding and patience of all its customers, both passengers and airlines to which Iberia Airport Services provides service”, and apologizes “for the inconvenience that the strike called by the unions is causing them”, according to the Europa Press agency.
The strike has been called by UGT, CCOO, USO and Intercompany Committee from this Friday, January 5 to January 8 and has led to the cancellation of 444 flights of the Iberia group airlines, affecting more than 45,600 passengers.
However, the strike could affect the operations of almost a hundred airlines to which Iberia Airport Services provides service at the airports of Aenaon dates that coincide with the Three Wise Men festival and the return of the Christmas holidays.
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