A strike by the pilots of the Spanish airline Air Europa had little impact when beginning on Thursday, dpa cited sources of the carrier as saying. Minimum services ordered by the Infrastructure Ministry guaranteed that 87 per cent of Air Europa flights operated normally. Passengers who were due to travel on the remaining 13 per cent of flights were placed on other flights. The trade union Sepla, which represents 95 per cent of Air Europa's 550 pilots, has announced an indefinite strike, which will take place on Mondays and Thursdays. The strike protests cooperation arrangements between Air Europa and the Portuguese airline Orbest, which Sepla sees as "externalizing" Air Europa services. "It is all part of a strategic plan to leave Air Europa without content," Sepla representative Luis Crespi said earlier.
