Air Europa pilots in Spain announce two-week strike from June 19

Pilots at Spain's beleaguered airline Air Europa will go on strike between June 19 and July 2 following a breakdown in salary negotiations, the country's main pilots union SEPLA said in a statement late on Thursday. Pilots said the company reneged on a pre-agreement reached on June 8 and did not meet salary and working condition demands. Air Europa's salary proposals for pilots were equivalent to those at a low-cost airline, the union said in the statement. A spokesperson at Air Europa said the company was open to keep negotiating. Spain forces airlines and pilots to maintain a minimum number of flights during strikes, resulting in fewer restrictions compared to other countries. British Airways and Iberia owner International Airlines Group in February agreed to buy the remaining 80% of Air Europa it did not already own from Spain's Globalia for E400m. The deal still needs regulatory approval from Brussels and a first attempt to buy the airline in 2021 failed after it was rejected by regulators on concerns about a lack of competition on Latin American routes. The airline, which was bailed out by the government in 2020 with a E475m loan, will maintain its brand but will be managed by Iberia.<br/>