Brazilian air transporters’ strike enters the 4th day with new cancellations and flight delays

The fourth day of stoppage for pilots and flight attendants again caused inconvenience in some of the main airports in the country this Thursday (22). With the expectation of a considerable increase in the flow of passengers close to the Christmas and New Year festivities, the air transporters’ strike, which began on Monday (19) and has no end date, should impact travel.

According to Infraero (Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company), a movement of up to 45% is expected during this period, with around 2.5 million passengers circulating in the country’s airports. The suspension of work in the category occurs daily from 6 am to 8 am in Congonhas, Guarulhos, Rio-Galeão, Santos Dumont, Viracopos, Porto Alegre, Brasília and Confins, but it also ends up harming the operations of other airports.

At the international airport of Guarulhos, in São Paulo, two flights were delayed, but there were no records of cancellations, according to the administrator of the place. The concessionaire has instructed passengers to look for airlines to find out the status of their flights.

In Congonhas, also in São Paulo, there were 5 delays and 4 cancellations between 6 am and 8 am today. At Santos Dumont airport, in Rio de Janeiro, there were no delays or cancellations. In Brasilia, some flights also recorded delays in departures between 6 am and 10 am. The site administrator did not provide the number.

Last Friday (16), the Superior Labor Court (TST) determined that a minimum of 90% of pilots and flight attendants should be on duty during the strike. The decision was motivated by an action by the National Union of Airline Companies (Snea). The TST determined that in case of non-compliance with the decision, a fine of R$200,000 (US$38,630) will be applied.

The National Union of Air Transporters (SNA) said, in a note, that the category claims the “recomposition of inflationary losses, in addition to real gain, in view of the high prices of airline tickets that have generated increasing profits for companies.”

With information from Gazeta do Povo