Air traffic controllers' strike cancels flights in Portugal

A strike by air traffic controllers against cost-cutting reforms forced about 20 flights to be cancelled at Lisbon airport on Wednesday, officials said.

The cancelled flights included services between Lisbon and airports in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France and northern Europe, the airport operator ANA said.

Controllers called the strike as part of a protest in several European countries against planned EU air traffic reforms which they fear threaten their jobs.

The strike would cause "long delays throughout the day," warned Carlos Vladrez, a spokesman for air traffic controllers of the national airspace operator NAV.

National airline TAP Portugal said it had rescheduled about 50 flights to try and avoid cancellations but delays were still expected.

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easyJet's Portugal pilots to strike Christmas-New Year

Pilots based in Portugal for the British lowcost airline easyJet announced on Friday they are to strike five days over the Christmas-New Year's period to demand better conditions.

"The easyJet pilots based in Lisbon have lodged strike notice for December 13, 24, 26 and 31 as well as for January 1," their SPAC union said in a statement.

The industrial action will see the 43 company pilots stopping work for 24 hours each time, with only a minimum service ensuring daily links to Portugal's Madeira archipelago, a sunny location in the Atlantic off the African coast which attracts winter tourism.

The pilots complain that easyJet is not respecting Portuguese labour law in terms of vacation leave and maximum working hours.

They also claim that the British budget airline is "taking advantage" of Portugal's fragile economy "to sacrifice its workers' labour conditions, especially those of its pilots who are the worst paid of all the company's European bases".

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