28 May 1998: Spanish air traffic control strike causes chaos

Chaos reigned across Spain on 28 May 1998 as a 24-hour strike by Spanish air traffic controllers affected 100,000 passengers across the country's 40 airports.

The reason for the strike was that air traffic controllers were unhappy about having to work overtime due to a shortage of staff. They were negotiating new terms with Spain's airport operator, Aena.

The 1,200 air traffic controllers were demanding an extra 709 staff to alleviate the 470,000 extra hours they claimed they worked cumulatively each year.

The strike started at 8am, but the real effects did not start to be felt until midday, with the situation coming to a head by mid-afternoon.

At Malaga Airport, some 10,000 passengers were affected and around 100 flights faced delays of up to four hours or even cancellations.

Madrid's Barajas airport was forced to cancel 91 Iberia flights while 38 were cancelled at Barcelona.

SUR journalist Pedro Tornay, who covered the strike, reported seeing "faces of desperation and indignation" as the departures hall at Malaga Airport filled up with disgruntled passengers.

Queues formed at the different airline desks, but staff were unable to provide information about when, or even if, flights would be leaving.

It was a similar situation in the arrivals hall, with family members and friends who had gone to meet passengers flying in to Malaga uncertain as to how long they would have to wait. Information screens sometimes flashed up with estimated departure and arrival times, only for the details to disappear as the situation changed.

Airports and authorities were already predicting that Friday 29 May would be even worse, as they tried to handle, not only the backlog of passengers from Thursday, but also the larger number of travellers arriving that day due to the extended flight schedule at weekends.

Aena called for "responsibility to restore normality and quality of service as soon as possible" and said it was negotiating with staff to reach a deal.