Romanian state airline Tarom cancels more than 20 flights, Budapest flights affected

More than 20 flights to and from Bucharest were cancelled on Monday by the Romanian state airline Tarom after at least one crew member reported sick on each of the flights affected. Flights from Budapest were also affected.

Budapest flights affected

According to a statement from the airline, Tarom did not operate its scheduled flights on Monday to Cairo, Beirut, Amman, Iasi, Oradea, Istanbul, Budapest, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, or Paris. Consequently, the return flights from these cities to Bucharest were also cancelled.

Hundreds of passengers spent the night in the waiting areas of Bucharest International Airport due to a spontaneous strike by the pilots, leaving them frustrated and uncertain, turizmus.com reports.

Tarom promised to contact the affected passengers as soon as possible to offer rescheduling, alternative travel options, or ticket refunds.

No increase in pilot salaries at Tarom since 2007

Source: Facebook/Antal Árpád

Cezar Osiceanu, a pilot speaking to the G4Media.ro news portal, claimed that the salaries of Tarom pilots and co-pilots have not increased since 2007. They earn EUR 4,500 per month, whereas most private airlines pay their pilots at least EUR 10,000.

The news portal reported that Romania’s delegation to the NATO summit, starting on Tuesday, was also unable to depart. The delegation, including the defence and foreign ministers and the chief of the general staff, planned to travel to Washington via a connecting flight in Paris.

The unofficial pilot strike was facilitated by a regulation allowing pilots to take two days off for health reasons. Media sources indicated that nearly 30 Tarom pilots called in sick simultaneously.

Read also:

• Is Hungarian air traffic control behind the chaos and delayed flights in Europe?
• Was your flight delayed or cancelled? Here are Budapest Airport’s reasons for the current disruptions