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Spain's Iberia airlines has cancelled a total of 109 flights due to today's pilots' strike - the first of a second round of two one-day strikes, with the next scheduled for Wednesday 11th January, where a further 106 flights will be cancelled.
The airline's long haul routes are the worst affected - specifically Madrid-Barajas, Miami, Bogota, Lima, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Mexico. However, a number of medium haul routes have suffered dispruption, including Lisbon, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, Frankfurt, Milan, Venice, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Zurich, Rome and Casablanca.
The airline commented that the strike dates were called to cause as much disruption as possible to travellers as the country returns to work after the New Year and Three Kings Holiday period, just as the previous round of strike dates was timed to cause disruption to those seeking to travel at the start of the Holidays.
In the previous round of strikes Iberia was forced to cancel 218 flights, affecting some 22,000 passengers, however, the airline launched a contingency plan which included agreements with other companies to provide alternative flights, together with the provision of 9'000 hotel rooms in the capital for those affected by sever delays or cancellations.
However, there is still little sign of a resolution being found between the airline and pilots, with last Wednesday's meeting resulting in accusations that union representatives - also Pilots for the airline - were deliberately scheduled on loang haul flights so they would be unable to attend.
The airline claims that under these circumstances, any pilot wishing to attend the meeting could have been rescheduled on request.
The Pilots also complain that Iberia is not open to negotiation, after the airline offered a meeting to try and resolve differences on the 10th of January - after the first of the strike dates was due to be held.
Meanwhile, five further unions : Sitcpla, Stavlos, CTA, UGT and CCOO are scheduled to meet to discuss their possible involvement in the conflict in calling for employment guarantees and other questions that the proposed creation of the new Iberia Express airline is raising.