First day of Iberia pilots' strike causes minimal disruption

At press time on Sunday, Spanish airline Iberia was operating "as normal," despite the fact its pilots were engaged in a strike. The company said that it was complying fully with the minimum service requirements set out by the Public Works Ministry.

Terminal 4 at Madrid's Barajas airport, where Iberia operates, was quiet, without the long lines of harried travelers normally seen during this kind of strike action.

Iberia issued a statement saying that as of 6pm on Sunday, 60 percent of the 195 flights scheduled for the day had taken off without incident, after 91 flights had been canceled in advance and their passengers rescheduled on other flights.

The strike has not affected other airlines that code share with Iberia.

Justo Peral, chairman of the pilots' trade union Sepla-Iberia, denied allegations that pilots were planning a wildcat strike for January, accusing Iberia of creating a smokescreen and of worrying its customers unnecessarily.

"We are not going to do anything illegal," he said.

Iberia's pilots are striking to protest the carrier's plans to launch a low-cost airline, Iberia Express, in March 2012.

The pilots are due to strike for a second day on Thursday, December 29.