CAL cancels 26 flights in Taiwan as pilot strike enters 5th day

機師罷工進入第5天，華航台灣取消26航班

Taiwan's China Airlines pilot strike enters 5th day, 26 more flights canceled


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- After the second round of negotiations between Pilots Union Taoyuan and China Airlines (CAL) broke down last night (Feb. 11), Taiwan's first airline pilot strike has entered its fifth day, resulting in 26 more flight cancellations.

Despite 10 hours of negotiations facilitated by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday, neither side could find common ground as the pilots’ union remained firm in its demand for additional backup pilots on flights lasting eight hours or more, while the airline refused to budge. In order to bring a swift end to the strike, union members said they are planning to stage a sit in at the MOTC.

Cancellations of incoming flights include cities such as Pusan, Manila, Hong Kong, Osaka, Xiamen, Hanoi, Singapore, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Rome, and Amsterdam. Meanwhile, cancellations for outgoing flights include destinations such as Hong Kong, Osaka, New York, Los Angeles, Rome, Sydney, Amsterdam, and Osaka.

The Pilots Union Taoyuan represents 900 of CAL's 1,300 pilots. Of these, over 400 have joined in the strike thus far.

The striking pilots have the following demands:


Additional pilots to be present on longer flights in order to prevent fatigue
Make training programs and promotion tracks for copilots more transparent
Prohibit the penalizing of union members for union activities
Dismiss managers who harm employer-employee relations
Guarantee full year-end bonus packages for employees


Information about flight cancellations can be found in English on the China Airlines website here.