The Mexican Association of Airline Pilots (ASPA) has decided to postpone the Aeroméxico pilots’ strike, originally scheduled for October 1, moving it to October 8. According to ASPA, the decision aims to avoid disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers and to not interfere with the official inauguration of the president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum.
The strike would involve 1,491 pilots, affecting around 500 domestic and international flights of the airline. Although no satisfactory agreement has been reached with the company, the pilots continue to demand better working conditions and wages.
“We remain open to dialogue and negotiation with the company, as long as it recognizes the fair value of its pilots,” ASPA said in a statement, noting that Aeroméxico’s latest offer was a 6% wage increase, although the workers are seeking a higher percentage.
ASPA also thanked labor authorities, unions that showed support, and passengers for their understanding. “We reiterate our commitment to maintaining open and transparent dialogue that allows us to reach agreements benefiting our pilots and enables Aeroméxico to continue flying high,” the union added.
The pilots are advocating for a wage increase above the 6% offered by Aeroméxico. They argue that this percentage does not adequately reflect inflation nor the additional efforts they have made in recent years. The pilots emphasize that during the pandemic, they accepted salary cuts and other concessions to help stabilize the airline during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Now, they seek to restore the pre-pandemic benefits and compensations, claiming that Aeroméxico’s recovery and current financial health are partly due to the sacrifices they made.
Additionally, ASPA is pushing to reduce the number of daily landings from six to four. This reduction would help mitigate the physical strain and fatigue associated with their demanding work, as pilots often make multiple flights per day. They consider this essential to ensuring safer and more manageable working conditions. The union argues that their demands are not unreasonable compared to industry standards worldwide, where pilots from other airlines have secured more substantial wage increases. The union insists that the airline has enough financial flexibility to accommodate their requests.
On the other hand, Aeroméxico has offered the aforementioned 6% wage increase, along with a package of 24 points under negotiation. The airline has expressed a willingness to continue dialogue, but has not yet met ASPA’s demands. Aeroméxico’s focus seems to be on maintaining operational stability while offering reasonable concessions to avoid a strike, especially as the company has recently recovered from its financial struggles during the pandemic.
The airline also proposed a reduction in the number of daily landings, hoping to address the pilots’ workload concerns. However, it suggests limiting daily landings to four, with the option of a fifth landing under special conditions. While this proposal somewhat aligns with the pilots’ demands, other aspects of the negotiations remain unresolved.
