Spain declared a state of emergency on Saturday after a wildcat 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. It''s clear that the situation has not normalised," deputy prime minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said following an emergency cabinet meeting.
If the controllers did not return to work they would be breaking the law, Rubalcaba said. The disruption was set to continue. Spanish carrier Iberia cancelled all flights until 0500 GMT on Sunday, and budget carrier Ryanair scrapped all its Spanish flights on Saturday.
The army took over air control towers on Friday afternoon after the walkout by controllers quickly stopped flights in and out of Spain''s main airports, disrupting travel for around 250,000 people on one of Spain''s busiest holiday weekends.