Ryanair cancels more flights in Spain as strike resumes

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair cancelled 10 flights and delayed 111 more in Spain on Monday as cabin crew staff resumed strike action over pay and working conditions, union officials said.

Barcelona, Spain’s second-busiest airport, was the worst hit, with eight flights cancelled as of 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), the USO union said in a statement.

But the union complained that the strike was not having a greater impact, hitting out at the government for compelling the airline to operate around 80 percent of its flights and forcing most crew to go to work, USO spokesman Pau Ibarzabal said.

“We believe it is abusive and almost violates our right to strike,” he said.

Ryanair cabin crew in Spain began a series of rolling strikes on June 24, the day when many European schools started breaking up for the summer.

The USO and SITCPLA unions initially called for six days of walkouts, but they later decided to extend the industrial action until July 28.

The two unions then called a third wave of 24-hour work stoppages from August 8 until January 7, 2023, arguing that Ryanair had refused “to engage in any dialogue”.

The carrier, for its part, has said that the strikes have had little impact on its activity in Spain, where it operates more than 650 routes.

Ryanair is the only international company in Spain not to have a collective agreement, unions say.

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