Global Airport News
The Spanish airport operator AENA and unions reached a preliminary agreement to call off the 22 days of strike action between April and August, averting disruption during the peak summer travel season.
The agreement takes on board unions' concerns over labour conditions and job security for the state airport operator's nearly 13,000 staff in the face of a planned government privatisation, union representatives told national radio.
"The agreement was reached after nearly 20 hours of talks," AENA said in a press release, noting the accord still had to be voted on by workers.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the agreement meant airports would work at normal capacity during the Easter and summer travel periods.
Around 77% of tourists arrive in Spain by air, bringing over 190 million passengers through Spanish airports every year.
However, one analyst expressed caution on the provisional agreement.
Spain said in December it wanted to partially privatise the state airport operator, which it says could be worth up to EUR€30 billion as part of plans to reduce the national debt.
Air traffic controller strikes in early December stranded thousands of passengers and caused chaos at Spanish airports.
