Pilot Strike to Ground Several Korean Air Flights

The labor action by flight crews at South Korea’s flag carrier has caused the cancellation of a large number of domestic and international flights.

A pilot strike could affect a number of Korean Air flights all the way up until the new year. The labor action has already caused the cancellation of more than 60 domestic flights and as many as 20 international flights beginning Wednesday and stretching though to at least December 26.

The airline told the Korean Times that it will maintain the vast majority of its daily service. Because the airline is considered an “essential public service,” the scope of any walkout at the carrier is largely restricted by law. Still, nearly 200 pilots are expected to participate in the strike which labor leaders promise could last through New Year’s Day.

The labor dispute started last year after wage negotiations stalled. The pilots originally insisted on a 37 percent wage hike; represented flight crews have reportedly since reduced that demand to a 29 percent pay bump. As the walkout was announced this week, however, the two sides remained at an impasse with the company insisting that only a less than 2 percent wage increase is possible under the current economic conditions.

After plans for the pilot strike were announced, government representatives met with industry officials to help mitigate the effects of the walkout on the flying public. Rather than facilitating negotiations, the government is said to be instead focused on maintaining normal operations during the long-running labor dispute.

”The CEOs should be adamant that flight safety must be maintained,” South Korean Minister of Transport Kang Ho-in warned the heads of the country’s largest airlines. “Safety must be considered the foremost administrative principle.”

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