Portuguese TAP Air Portugal, the national airline, said on Thursday it had canceled more than 1,300 flights ahead of an expected week-long strike that unions had planned to begin next week to protest wage cuts.
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The majority of the airline’s almost 1,000 employees have voted to hold a strike from January 25 to 31.
This strike is expected to cost TAP around €48 million and affect around 156,000 passengers.
TAP states that salary reductions, as well as the elimination of jobs and the sale of aircraft, are necessary to stabilize the financial position of the debt-ridden airline after the renationalization implemented in 2020.
Two years ago, when the Covid-19 pandemic had almost paralyzed air traffic, the state rescued an airline that was on the verge of bankruptcy. The European Commission approved the provision of state aid, but on the condition that TAP be restructured.
