		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="111265417"
		 data-section="2">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/spanish-airport-chaos-after-walkout.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="The Spanish government has approved a package of new austerity measures in a bid to ease investor fears about its debt" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/min-spanish-airport-chaos-after-walkout.jpg" alt="The Spanish government has approved a package of new austerity measures in a bid to ease investor fears about its debt"/></a></p>
<p>A massive air traffic controller walkout on the eve of a long holiday weekend has caused travel chaos throughout Spain, forcing authorities to close eight airports, including the major European hub in Madrid.</p>
<p>The controllers left their posts amid a lengthy dispute over working conditions and just hours after the administration of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigo Zapatero approved an austerity measure to partially privatise airports, and to hand over management of Madrid and Barcelona airports to the private sector.</p>
<p>Spain&#8217;s air traffic authority, known as Aena, issued an advisory telling all passengers planning to take flights to stay away from airports because &#8220;air traffic has been interrupted&#8221; and there was no immediate word when the walkout might end.</p>
<p>Spanish media reported that a few international flights were landing at the Madrid airport, but that some passengers waited for hours in planes ready for takeoff before the planes returned to gates so the passengers could disembark.</p>
<p>Thousands of people were camped out at Madrid&#8217;s airport, not knowing whether their flights would leave or not. Iberia, Spain&#8217;s flagship carrier, said the Madrid airport could remain closed until Saturday and that it was preparing a plan to move out delayed flights before dawn if the controllers started working again.</p>
<p>Spain&#8217;s air traffic controllers have been involved in a long negotiation process with state-owned Aena over wages, working conditions and privileges.</p>
<p>In response, Spanish development minister Jose Blanco convened an emergency meeting and his ministry issued a terse statement, saying &#8220;controllers have begun to communicate their incapacity to continue offering their services, abandoning their places of work&#8221;.</p>
<p>The controllers&#8217; union has been complaining for weeks that members have already worked their maximum hours for all of 2010, and that the country&#8217;s 2,000 controllers are overworked and understaffed. They are prohibited by law from going on strike.</p>
			<div style="padding-bottom:15px;" class="wordads-tag" data-slot-type="belowpost">
				<div id="atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ef32fe98209">
					<script type="text/javascript">
						window.getAdSnippetCallback = function () {
							if ( false === ( window.isWatlV1 ?? false ) ) {
								// Use Aditude scripts.
								window.tudeMappings = window.tudeMappings || [];
								window.tudeMappings.push( {
									divId: 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ef32fe98209',
									format: 'belowpost',
								} );
							}
						}

						if ( document.readyState === 'loading' ) {
							document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', window.getAdSnippetCallback );
						} else {
							window.getAdSnippetCallback();
						}
					</script>
				</div>
			</div>
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
