Air strike looms; talks break down

Talks between Spain's airports authority AENA and air traffic controllers  have broken down, heightening the prospect of a strike this month. The two sides had been expected to reach an agreement by last Friday, after which time AENA said it was hoping to settle the dispute out of court. The head of the state agency, Juan Ignacio Lema Devesa, said at a press conference last week in Madrid that talks would not continue 'under pressure of a strike'. Nevertheless, the deadline has been pushed back and Spain’s air traffic controllers will now decide on Thursday whether to go ahead with their walk out. According to  controllers' union spokesman, Daniel Zamit,>

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a decision on whether to strike will be announced this Friday. However, Zamit said that he is expecting a call from AENA to restart the talks that have been going on for months. "While there are talks, there is no strike," he added.

Should things come to a head and a strike is called, the impact on tourism at the height of the summer season would create havoc on the beleaguered Spanish economy, heavily dependent on the industry

The country's travel companies, already troubled by the mere mention of a strike because they are nioticing a downturn in forward reservations, and some cancellations from tour operators, for this month. Exceltur, the Spanish Alliance for Tourism Excellence, said in a press release that they would hold the air traffic controllers solely responsible for the adverse impact on Spain’s tourism sector and, urging the controllers to resume negotiations, added that the organization would take any legal action as a result of a 'hypothetical' strike.

Should a strike be called, the law says that it must be announced 10 days beforehand, which means that flights to and from Spain will not be affected before August 22. However, that is close to the end of the season, when thousands of holidaymakers are returning home.