Travel Alert – Belgium, Canada, India, Italy, Spain, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam

BELGIUM
The CSC/ACV Transcom trade union has filed a new strike notice against Skeyes (formerly Belgocontrol), the company in charge of air traffic control in Belgium for the period from 23 February – 23 March.
The unions have not excluded closing Belgian airspace again, as it did on 13 February, but has said that other forms of action are possible such as closing it for a few hours or rotating closure between different regions.
In the meantime, the unions have decided not to strike before 11 March, the last day of the spring break holidays.

CANADA
Timmins Airport that serves as a regional hub for part of Northeastern Ontario and the James Bay coast could be shut down by a strike on 01 March.
Nineteen workers have been without a contract for over two years at the airport and the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees says without them, the airport can’t operate as they are maintenance and airfield technicians, foremen, mechanics and electricians.
According to airport management, flight services will continue as normally as possible as the airport has contingency plans in place.

INDIA
Jet Airways’ operations are likely to be hit by strike action from next month with its pilots union deciding to adhere to the duty roster from 01 March over non-payment of salaries.
Members of the National Aviator’s Guild (NAG) have said they will not fly over and above roster hours.
Jet Airways, a listed entity, told the stock exchanges it is working out a “mutually acceptable” arrangement to ensure it becomes current on salary overdues. The airline has been delaying salaries to its pilots, engineers and senior management since last August.
The union has clarified that the pilots will not ground any aircraft.

ITALY
A general 24-hour strike is scheduled across Italy on Friday, 08 March involving airline, train, ferry and local transportation personnel. Flights will be affected from 00:01 to 24:00, taxis will strike from 08:00 – 22:00 and train services will be impacted from 21:00 on 07 March. As local transportation strikes will have different starting times depending on specific location, travellers are advised to check strike details locally and allow additional time for commuting to and from airports.

SPAIN
Metro workers in Barcelona are implementing several partial strikes to coincide with the Mobile World Congress taking place in the city from 25-28 February.
The metro strike involves periods of two-hour work stoppages from 07:00 to 09:00 (local time), 16:00 to 18:00, and 22:30 and 00:30 from Monday to Thursday. Authorities have taken steps to control access to certain metro stations, including La Sagrera and Sagrada Família, after overcrowding was reported on several metro lines.
Spanish law mandates that a minimum of 50 percent of services must be provided during the first two partial strikes, while at least 30 percent of services must be provided during the last strike segment.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Southwest Airlines continues to experience flight disruptions and cancellations as a result of its ongoing dispute with its mechanics. While the airline has not indicated how many cancellations are due to maintenance versus other causes, such as weather, a spokesman said Monday that the airline still has a high number of aircraft out of service.

VENEZUELA
Several airlines have halted flights to Venezuela due to its increasing chaos and political strife. American Airlines flies daily from Miami to Caracas and Maracaibo, but the airline said it was closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the FAA.

VIETNAM
Travellers in Hanoi between 27-29 February may encounter travel disruptions as a result of a scheduled meeting in the city between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jon Un. The North Korean leader is due to arrive in the city on 26 February.
Travellers needing to be at destinations across the city at specific times over this period are advised to allow additional travel time to accommodate any road diversions or closures that may be implemented.