More flight disruptions loom as Norwegian pilots strike

Oslo - Travel disruptions loom Wednesday for travellers with low-budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle, which flies domestically and to neighbouring Nordic countries, as pilots threaten to expand industrial action.

At the weekend, 70 pilots in the domestic subsidiary of the airline went on strike after talks on work conditions and a collective bargaining agreement failed. Only a handful of flights were initially affected.

On Tuesday, 17 flights were cancelled.

The strike, however, threatens to widen as of Wednesday as labour union Parat said 650 pilots were prepared to strike.

The airline estimated that this will halt an estimated 75% of the carrier's flights in Norway. Travellers were advised to monitor flight information.

If the strike is not averted, the carrier said it would temporarily lay off 800 cabin crew members without pay, public broadcaster NRK reported Tuesday.

Financial news site E24 estimated that Norwegian has between 1 200 and 1 300 cabin crew employees in Norway.

A sticking point is that the pilots want a collective labour agreement with parent company Norwegian Air Shuttle rather than the domestic subsidiary, Norwegian Air Norway.