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| Asiana Airlines A350 / Courtesy of Asiana Airlines |
By Kim Hyun-bin
The union of pilots affiliated with Asiana Airlines plans to begin delaying aircraft takeoffs starting Wednesday, with both domestic and international flights operated by the airline to experience mass departure delays.
Aircraft departures could be delayed by more than one hour if the pilots go ahead with the work-to-rule delay plan, and if the pilots choose to taxi the aircraft at low speeds on the ground, the delay times are expected to increase further.
According to the aviation industry, the pilots' union of Asiana Airlines conducted a vote from May 23 to 28 on whether to take action in response to a dispute over wages. Out of a total of 1,095 union members, 946 participated in the vote, with 874 in favor and 72 against.
As the support rate exceeded 90 percent, the union made plans to establish a dispute response committee and engage in work-to-rule delays to aircraft operations starting Wednesday.
Asiana Airlines' pilots and flight attendants usually gather for a briefing 80 minutes prior to takeoff. However, they had been gathering 30 to 40 minutes earlier than that for smooth boarding and takeoff procedures.
Starting from Wednesday, the pilot union plans to stop holding the flight briefings so early, which is set to cause delays of at least 30 minutes for boarding.
Even after passengers have completed boarding, flight times can be delayed further. The pilots plan to adhere to the legally prescribed ground operation speeds and fly only within the minimum required speeds and altitudes.
For domestic air routes that operate multiple flights, these measures may lead to continuous delays, and for flights scheduled in the late afternoon, there is a high possibility of cancellations due to cumulative delays.
The union meanwhile plans to engage in negotiations with management. However, if they fail to reach a satisfactory compromise by next month, they plan to begin a total strike at the end of July.
"Not all Asiana Airlines flights will be delayed as there are about 300 pilots who are not union members," the union said. "We plan to engage in negotiations with the company while resisting lawfully."
Meanwhile, management's position is to maintain a dialogue channel with the union and make every effort for smooth negotiations and a swift settlement.
The labor and management of Asiana Airlines have been engaged in wage negotiations and collective bargaining. Management proposed a 2.5 percent pay increase, but the pilots' union demanded 10 percent, arguing that they should receive a similar level of increase considering other airlines such as Korean Air, Jeju Air and T'way Air are raising their employees' wages by more than 10 percent.
