Travellers 'face air strike chaos'

A strike by air traffic controllers in France last December caused massive disruptions across Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- Travel bosses across Europe are warning of "massive disruption" if a planned strike by air traffic controllers goes ahead this week.

The ATCEUC -- an umbrella group of air traffic controllers that includes unions from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary -- has threatened walkouts on Wednesday unless transport ministers scrap plans to introduce a "single skies" policy.

European Union transport ministers are pressing ahead with the plans to bring air traffic controllers to be brought under a single European chain of command.

But travel bosses hit out at the unions saying a strike -- which could strand European holidaymakers by up to two days -- would be massively unfair to tourists and business travellers.

"It will cause massive disturbances for holidaymakers, create huge logistical problems for the airlines and tour operators and cost a great deal of money," Michel de Blust, Secretary-General of the European Confederation of Travel Agents and Tour Operators' Associations, told CNN.

"It is particularly unfair to people who have been working all year and looking forward to their holiday."

Wednesday's threatened strike is just the start of what could prove a summer of discontent for travellers across Europe.

It comes a day before a national strike of public sector workers in Spain on Thursday which has already seen hundred of flights cancelled.

Timing criticised

In addition, Italian air traffic controllers have threatened a second strike on June 26. Pilots for national flag carrier Alitalia have said they will not fly for four hours on June 28 to protest against pay and conditions, and all air transport workers will strike for four hours on July 12 and July 19.

De Blust hit out at the timing of the threatened strike on Wednesday, just when airline charter flights to holiday destinations are beginning in earnest.

"We have seen from past experience air traffic controllers never go on strike in November," he said.

Wednesday's planned strikes could begin a summer of disruption for travellers

"The air traffic controllers are just trying to protect their local interests. It just shows the need for an 'open skies' policy when they can be brought under a Europe-wide command structure."

The Spanish strike has caused European tour giant TUI to postpone 200 flights to and from Spain on Thursday from Germany and the UK chartered by Hanover-based TUI and British subsidiary Thomson Holidays.

They are being rescheduled to run Wednesday night and Friday, but the company said it was uncertain what would happen on Wednesday and was looking closely at events.

A spokesman for Britain's Association of British Travel Agents said if Wednesday's strike went ahead there would be no flights to or across France and those to Britain's most popular destination, Spain, were likely to experience "pretty serious delays" of at least three hours. Flights to Italy would also be hit.

"Obviously we are hoping the strike will not go ahead but tour operators are taking the threat quite seriously and monitoring the situation very closely."

He said in worst case scenarios passengers would be offered extended holidays, hotels or even full refunds.

But he said because the action was the result of external action, passengers would be unable to claim compensation for the delays.

De Blust said air traffic controllers in Italy and France were civil servants and were trying to protect their high salaries and fringe benefits.

"They are concerned that they might not be able to keep up their position in the future."

Strikes spread

ATCEUC secretary Joel Cariou said the '"open skies" plan aimed to improve efficiency at the expense of safety. "When air traffic doubles, the risk of collision is squared," he said.

The scheme -- designed to boost capacity by 50 percent -- involves bringing all air traffic controllers under a unified supervision so that airlines can fly routes that are not defined by European borders.

The industrial actions on Wednesday will include a full-day strike in France, four hours (from 1000 to 1400 GMT) in Greece and Portugal and a one-hour walkout (from 1300 to 1400 GMT) in Italy, said Cariou.

A similar strike in France last December caused massive disruptions across Europe. (Full story)

Italy's transport strikes this summer are likely to hit wider than the airways. On June 21, public transport workers in cities throughout Italy are set to walk off the job for eight hours as part of a contract dispute, and will follow up with a second, four-hour strike on July 11.

As for trains, the union representing railway stationmasters has called a 24-hour strike for June 22-23 and all rail workers will walk out for four hours on July 5, as part of protests against government plans to alter workers' rights.

As well as taking part in the July 5 work stoppage, unions representing ferry and other maritime workers plan to strike for half a day on July 8, against government proposals to make it easier to hire and fire workers.

About a quarter of Italy's workforce walked off the job two months ago in a general strike organised by the country's three largest unions against the government labour changes. It was Italy's biggest one-day strike for 20 years.