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A strike by workers of 2 of the largest airlines in Argentina caused the cancellation of dozens of flights and the grounding of tens of thousands of passengers Tuesday. Unions representing Aerolineas Argentinas and sister company Austral Lineas Aereas are demanding a 26% salary hike in line with the inflation rate. The Telam state news agency said that about 40,000 people have been affected and 300 domestic and international flights have been canceled by the 24-hour stoppage. The Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires was inactive due to the strike, while several areas of the Ezeiza airport in the outskirts of the Argentine capital remained empty at midday. The president of the Aerolineas Argentinas group is criticising the unions representing the workers and says that the company might take legal action. <br/>

Authorities in the Netherlands tried Tuesday to defuse a threat by Moscow to close Russian air space to Dutch planes in a dispute over landing slots at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. The Dutch Airline Pilots Association said Russia has indicated it will enforce the ban from Saturday. It would mainly hurt KLM, the only Dutch airline that flies over Russia. The dispute centres on a reduction from 23 to 13 in the number of slots available to Russian freight carrier AirBridgeCargo at the airport following Schiphol's half-yearly reallocation Oct 28. A spokesman for the Russian transport ministry said KLM and AirBridgeCargo were in talks about KLM giving up some of its slots as part of a possible compromise. De Telegraaf newspaper reported that around 15% of KLM's flights would be affected. <br/>