Planes by Spain's flagship carrier Iberia are parked at the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport in Barajas on April 7, 2020. Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
Madrid: Spanish airline Iberia has cancelled over 400 flights due to a four-day strike by its ground service workers that is set to begin Friday on the eve of Epiphany, a major holiday in the country.
The flight cancellations, which also affect the airline's low-cost carrier Iberia Express and its regional airline Air Nostrum, will impact more than 45,000 passengers, Iberia said in a statement after talks with Spain's UGT and CCOO unions ended late on Wednesday without an agreement.
Iberia's corporate director Juan Cierco said the strike would cause "very significant" disruption to thousands of travellers, warning that even if it was called off at the last minute, it would be impossible to reschedule the flights.
Iberia's ground service workers, which include baggage handlers, are protesting over the contracts signed by state-controlled airport operator Aena with new providers.
The new providers have vowed to maintain Iberia staff but unions fear their working conditions will worsen.
