Spain emergency over air chaos

State of alert declared after strike by air traffic controllers ground flights and leave thousands stranded. Last Modified: 04 Dec 2010 12:01 GMT Travel disruptions have affected around 250,000 people [EPA] The Spanish government has declared a state of emergency after a strike by air traffic controllers paralysed air travel for a second day. "We said that if the situation in the airports did not normalise, we would call a state of emergency," Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, the deputy prime minister, said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday. "It's clear that the situation has not normalised." Rubalcaba added that if the controllers did not return to work they would be breaking the law. The emergency declaration came after the Spanish military took control of the nation's airspace in view of the strike that disrupted travel for around 250,000 people. Rubalcaba said the airspace will be closed until Sunday. 'State of alert' It was the first "state of alert| in Spain since the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975. Further disruptions are expected as the country's carrier Iberia cancelled flights until 0500 GMT on Sunday, and budget carrier Ryanair scrapped all of its Spanish flights on Saturday. Thousands of passengers were stranded at the Madrid airport and Guy Hedecoe, co-editor of the Spanish news website qorrea.com, said many of them were angry. "There is a broader feeling across Spanish public opinion that air-traffic controllers get a pretty good deal. "In this airport people seem really angry at the airport and are directing their anger at the traffickers and not the government." The controllers gave no warning before the walkout and started claiming sick leave and leaving their posts en masse around 1600 GMT on Friday, effectively closing the whole of Spanish airspace, except for Andalucia, the airport authority said. Rubalcaba said the army would make all decisions on air traffic control, organisation, planning and supervision. The mass walkout by traffic controllers, locked in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions with AENA, the state-run airport authority, came hours after the government approved plans to sell off 49 per cent of AENA. The government on Friday also approved controls over the number of hours air traffic controllers can work per year and passed a law allowing the army to take over air space in times of emergency. Reforms The travel disruption came as Spain undertakes tough reforms and spending cuts to rein in its deficit and kickstart its struggling economy, measures designed to ward off market fears that it may need a similar bail-out to Ireland. The central government in Madrid has to repay $160bn in existing debt that matures in 2011, according to treasury figures. That figure excludes the debt racked up by Spain's semi-autonomous, heavily indebted regional governments. The Spanish government aims to rein in its public deficit from 11.1 per cent of GDP last year, the third highest in the eurozone after Greece and Ireland, to 3.0 per cent - the EU limit - by 2013. The government meanwhile described the unannounced walkout as "intolerable". "We will not allow this blackmail that uses citizens as hostages," Jose Blanco, minister of public works, told a news conference. Tourism accounts for around 11 per cent of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP). Friday's travel disruption would lead to millions of Euros in losses for the tourist industry and would damage Spain's image as a holiday destination, the Spanish Hotel Confederation has said.