Norwegian planes grounded third day
Europe’s third-biggest low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle is facing its biggest crises as a strike by pilots grounded almost all of its domestic flights in Norway, Sweden and Denmark since Wednesday.
More than 100.000 passengers have so far been affected by the strike, which started on Saturday, as 70 pilots walked out following a three months of labor-dispute.
The strike escalated on Wednesday, and a total of nearly 700 pilots are now on strike. Almost all Norwegian’s domestic flights in Norway, Sweden and Denmark have been grounded since then.
The pilots are employed by Norwegian Air Norway, a subsidiary, and are seeking an agreement with the parent company on pay and adjustments in pension terms. But the airline wants to cut costs and is looking at the wages and benefits its Norwegian pilots receive relative to the lower rates paid in countries such as Spain and the UK.
Norwegian chief executive Bjørn Kjos warned that the pilot strike could only continue for a matter of weeks before putting the survival of the company at risk.
“There are countless examples of unions striking companies into bankruptcy,” he warned, as he gave his first press conference since the company’s pilots called a strike on Saturday, adding that carrier could “not afford to take losses indefinitely,” Aftenposten reports.
Some flights to the U.K., Spain, and Finland are operating as usual. The airline’s long-haul routes from Scandinavia and England to the U.S. and Asia will operate as normal as they are beyond the scope of the dispute.
Norwegian is Europe’s third-biggest low-cost airline behind Ryanair and EasyJet, according to Financial Times. It has become one of the first European airlines to have WiFi on most of its planes.
