Summary
- June 1st could see the beginning of a strike if no deal is reached between Norwegian Air pilots and the airline.
- The strike could impact 690 Norwegian Air pilots in Norway, threatening the height summer season for the carrier.
- A past strike in 2015 cost the airline hundreds of thousands, putting pressure on either side to seek out a resolution.
A bunch of pilots for Norwegian Air are planning to strike on June 1st if wage negotiations fail. The move was noted by the government-appointed mediator today, who said that the dispute could escalate to affect many more pilots working for the airline.
No deal
Norwegian pilots represented by the Norwegian Pilot Union (NPU) have been locked in negotiations with the airline over salary and dealing hours. In mid-May, the parties failed to succeed in an agreement, triggering mediation.
The deadline for mediation is May thirty first, and if an agreement is just not reached on this window, it could lead on to a strike. As reported by Reuters, the government-appointed mediator noted that just 17 of the airline’s pilots were able to strike from June 1st but warned that this might quickly escalate to change into more of a difficulty.
Photo: Norwegian
Should the dispute proceed, the strike motion could ultimately affect 690 of the airline’s pilots in Norway. That’s a major proportion of its workforce, on condition that the airline employs around 1,300 pilots across all countries.
Pilots have flagged concerns about work-life balance and say their wages should be brought consistent with those of other European airlines. Norwegian Air has made several offers, including improved salaries and enhanced time without work, however the union has rejected each, saying that the offers still fall in need of expectations.
Photo: Norwegian
Lots of of Norwegian Air pilots in Denmark and Spain have already firmed up their collective bargaining agreements. But the specter of a strike from its Norwegian colleagues is hanging heavy over Norwegian Air because it heads into essentially the most lucrative season of the calendar.
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Despite a rough few years, Norwegian was in a position to provide a cushty, punctual service.
Bad timing for a strike
When negotiations broke down and mediation was called in mid-May, Norwegian assured passengers its operations weren’t impacted and that services would proceed seamlessly. Nonetheless, two weeks down the road, the parties remain at an impasse and the deadline for reaching an agreement is looming.
Should the pilots resolve to strike, the timing couldn’t be worse for Norwegian. The airline is on the point of head into the height summer season, traditionally the busiest time for air carriers, and has launched a wealthy tapestry of routes for its passengers this yr.
Recent point-to-point routes between Malaga-Munich, Alicante-Munich, Riga-Corfu, and Riga-Tivat were added to the schedule, in addition to 9 recent routes from Norway, 17 from Denmark, 9 from Sweden, and two from Finland. In all, the airline had planned to fly 332 routes to 123 destinations this summer.
The group, which also includes regional carrier Widerøe, posted an operating lack of NOK 763 million ($73 million) in the primary quarter of the yr. Despite flying more passengers than in 2022, the airline struggled with a weak Norwegian krone and the seasonally weak demand of Q1. It had hoped to bolster its fortunes with a busy flying summer.
A painful precedent
Norwegian Air has suffered its fair proportion of commercial motion, most notably in 2015 when Scandinavian pilots launched a strike lasting for 11 long days. Mediation talks had collapsed in late February, triggering around 70 pilots to start strike motion.
Over the next days, more pilots joined the motion, resulting in the airline releasing an announcement to its customers on March 4th warning them of flight disruption. The airline predicted around 35,000 customers can be affected, as all domestic flights in Norway and most in Sweden and Denmark together with those between the Scandinavian capitals were canceled.
Photo: Norwegian
After 11 days of motion, the strike finally ended on March tenth when the airline reached an agreement with the union. Altogether, almost 2,000 scheduled flights were canceled. However the motion cost the airline dearly, and not only in customer goodwill.
Norwegian calculated the results of the strike as costing it around NOK 350 million ($45.5 million on the time), including costs referring to canceled flights, lack of bookings and reaccommodation of stranded passengers.
Norwegian can be keen to avoid an analogous situation almost a decade later in 2024, particularly because the impact would likely be far greater given the time of yr. The carrier also not has long-haul flights to depend on to mitigate the lack of short-haul pilots.
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Little doubt, negotiations over the subsequent two days can be fierce as each parties attempt to work out an answer that works for everybody and doesn’t disrupt passengers’ summer travel plans.