news has previously written that 11 flights have been affected by the aircraft technician strike. Widerøe can now confirm that they alone have 38 canceled departures. The airline Norwegian cancels a total of 17 of Wednesday’s departures, both domestic and international. – This creates challenges for our passengers, we are painfully aware of that. Where we were positive yesterday, we feel that it is now hitting us properly, says Catharina Solli, press manager in Widerøe. Widerøe: – Do not call The delays are due to the fact that there are too few at work. Usually there are three or four technicians at work. Now there is usually only one to do the job. In addition, there were no technicians at work last night or night in Bodø, Solli explains. This means that the aircraft technician strike is quickly felt. Yesterday there were 4 canceled departures, now there are 38. PUZZLES: – This is a puzzle that now gives us great challenges. We have to solve it hour by hour, says information manager in Widerøe, Catharina Solli. Photo: Einar Aslaksen / Einar Aslaksen Therefore, the phones of the airline have rang in one go. People are worried about whether their journey will actually go. That is why Widerøe now has a prayer for its passengers: Do not call. Unless you have received a travel solution from Widerøe you are not happy with. – We encourage the public not to contact us, unless they have been notified that their departure has been canceled, or that they do not want to use the solution we have envisioned for them, says the press manager in Widerøe. Passengers who are affected receive information via SMS or e-mail. – If you have not heard anything from us, then you can be sure that your trip is still planned and carried out and behave in the usual way when you go out and travel. In the course of a day, Widerøe has 400 departures. Therefore, most departures are still normal. Domino effect The Norwegian Aircraft Technician Organization (NFO) has taken out 106 of its more than 400 members on strike. Another 39 technicians will go on strike from Friday 24 June if no solution is agreed by that time. For the airlines, the strike is spreading like a domino effect in the flights. The planned maintenance accumulates, while unforeseen events mean that spare aircraft are put into service. – Before the strike, we would be able to deploy reserve aircraft, but we have used up that capacity. Now we have to set without having anything to put in reserve. It has consequences, says Solli. On Monday, for example, several planes were left outside the hangar in Bodø. There were no aircraft technicians who could sign out the work that had been done, even though the planes were ready to fly. In addition, the company risks having the aircraft in one place, and the crew in another. Will affect travel throughout Norway The consequences have so far primarily affected Finnmark. But Widerøe can not rule out that the route network in the rest of the country is aware of the consequences. A plane that starts the day in Finnmark may pass through Lofoten and Helgeland, before ending up in Western Norway or in Oslo in the evening. – If you then have an unforeseen event on one of these first flights, we risk that all subsequent trips must be canceled, Solli says. ANALYST: Hans Jørgen Elnæs is an aviation analyst at Winair. Photo: Marit Sirum-Eikre / news Hans Jørgen Elnæs is an aviation analyst in the company Winair. He believes the aircraft technicians’ strike is coming at a difficult time for the airlines. – The airlines have had the worst period in the history of aviation in the last two years, and several companies have serious financial problems. At the same time, he is aware that in the long run, the salary of aircraft technicians should be raised, so that recruitment to the profession is also strengthened. – Over time, one should look at the possibility, but right now the requirement seems to be a bit out of proportion.
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Nearly 40 canceled departures in Widerøe, travelers ask not to contact – news Nordland
