Athens airport shutdown grounds Greek airlines

Oct 20, 2008, 10:43 GMT

Athens - Greek state carrier Olympic Airlines will cancel more than 70 domestic and international flights on Tuesday as air traffic controllers and flight crews join a nationwide 24-hour strike against government plans to privatize the airline.

The cancellations, which will affect Olympic and Aegean Airlines, will cover a total of 100 flights to European destinations such as London, Rome, Paris and Frankfurt, reports said. Some domestic flights would also be canceled.

Officials at Athens International Airport said that no aircraft will be allowed to land or depart for four hours starting at noon Tuesday, due to the strike.

Along with airport staff, dockers, post office employees and workers at the national railway also plan to join the strike to protest plans to privatize companies such as state carrier Olympic Airlines and protest labour reforms which are likely to target pension benefits.

Workers at partially-privatized telecommunication company OTE, the state-run Public Power Corporation, state hospital employees and print and broadcast journalists will also walk off the job for a few hours.

Unions are expected to rally in Athens and the northern port city of Thessaloniki at noon.

Last month, the Greek government launched a tender to sell off the ailing airline, saying it would find new public sector jobs for its workers.

Union leaders have pledged to halt the privatization. They say they plan to hold talks with union leaders from Italy's Alitalia to find ways of extending the protest.

The conservative government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, said it will push forward with reforms and privatizations despite union opposition.