List of aviation strikes

A number of notable strikes and labour disputes related to aviation have occurred since the 20th century.

20th century

1930s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
Century Airlines pilots' strike 1932 United States Century Air Lines Pilots ALPA Wages [1]

1940s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
Royal Air Force strikes of 1946 1946 British Raj Royal Indian Air Force [2]
1946 TWA strike 1946 United States Trans World Airlines Pilots [3]
1948 Boeing strike 1948 United States Boeing Machinists IAM Seniority benefits, wages [4]

1950s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
1958–59 Eastern Air Lines strike 1958–1959 United States Eastern Air Lines Flight engineers, mechanics Regulations that flight engineers obtain pilots' licences, wages [5][6]

1960s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
1960–62 Southern Airways strike 1960-1962 United States Southern Airways Pilots ALPA Wages [7]
1961 United States flight engineers strike 1961 United States Multiple Flight engineers Regulations that flight engineers obtain pilots' licences [6][8]
1966 Qantas strike 1966 Australia Qantas Pilots AFAP Aviation safety [9]
1966 United States airline strike 1966 United States Multiple IAM [10][11]
1967–69 BOAC strikes 1967-1969 United Kingdom BOAC Pilots [12][13]

1970s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
1971 Lufthansa strike 1971 West Germany Lufthansa First strike in Lufthansa history [14]

1980s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
1980 Singapore Airlines Pilots Association strike 1980 Singapore Singapore Airlines Pilots SIPA [15][16]
1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization strike 1981 United States Air traffic controllers PATCO Working conditions [17]
1981–82 El Al strikes 1981-1982 Israel El Al Multiple [18][19][20]
1983–85 Continental Airlines strikes 1983–1985 United States Continental Airlines Mechanics, pilots, flight attendants IAM, ALPA, AFA Wages, benefits, union busting [1]
1985 Pan Am strike 1985 United States Pan Am Mechanics TWU [21]
1985 United Airlines strike 1985 United States United Airlines Pilots, flight attendants ALPA, AFA Two-tier system for wages, strikebreaking [22][23]
1989 Eastern Air Lines strike 1989 United States Eastern Air Lines Multiple IAM, ALPA, AFA Wages, benefits, union busting [24]
1989 Australian pilots' dispute 1989 Australia Multiple Pilots AFAP Wages [25]
1989 Boeing strike 1989 United States Boeing Machinists IAM Wages [26]

1990s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
1993 Air France strike 1993 France Air France [27][28]
1993 Cathay Pacific strike 1993 British Hong Kong Cathay Pacific Flight attendants Staffing levels [29]
1993 American Airlines strike 1993 United States American Airlines Flight attendants AFA [30]
1998 Air Canada strike 1998 Canada Air Canada Pilots [31]

21st century

2000s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
2005 Asiana Airlines strike 2005 South Korea Asiana Airlines Pilots Scheduling, retirement age, management [32]
2005 Gate Gourmet dispute 2005 United Kingdom Gategroup Caterers TGWU Use of non-unionised workers [33]
2006–2007 Brazilian aviation crisis 2006–2007 Brazil Air traffic controllers Aviation safety [34]
2008 Boeing machinists' strike 2008 United States Boeing Machinists IAM Outsourcing, job security, wages [35]
2009 New Caledonia unrest 2009 New Caledonia Air Calédonie USTKE [36][37]

2010s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
Spanish air traffic controllers' strike 2010 Spain Air traffic controllers Working conditions, work schedules, benefits First declaration of a state of alert under military law by the Spanish government since the 1975 restoration of democracy [38]
2011 Qantas industrial disputes 2011 Australia Qantas Engineers, pilots, baggage handlers [39]
2012 Air India strike 2012 India Air India Pilots Boeing 787 Dreamliner training, merger with Indian Airlines [40]
2014 Air France strike 2014 France Air France Pilots [41]
2016 China Airlines flight attendants' strike 2016 Taiwan China Airlines Flight attendants TFAU First flight attendants' strike in Taiwan history [42]

2020s

Strike Date Country Organisations Type of worker Unions Main issues Notes References
2020–2021 Rolls-Royce Barnoldswick strikes 2020-2021 United Kingdom Rolls-Royce Holdings Machinists Offshoring [43][44]
2024 Boeing machinists' strike 2024 United States Boeing Machinists IAM Wages [45]
2024 Bombardier strike 2024 Canada Bombardier Inc. Machinists Unifor Wages, benefits [46]
2025 Air Canada flight attendants strike 2025 Canada Air Canada Flight attendants CUPE Wages, compensation for unpaid work [47]
2025 Boeing machinists' strike 2025 United States Boeing Machinists IAM Wages [45]
2025 FlySafair strike 2025 South Africa FlySafair Pilots Solidarity Wages, rostering [48]

References

  1. 1 2 Cohen, Isaac (January 1990). "Political Climate and Two Airline Strikes: Century Air in 1932 and Continental Airlines in 1983–85". ILR Review. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Duncan, David (1998). "Mutiny in the RAF: the air force strikes of 1946". LibCom. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "THE AIRLINE STRIKE". The New York Times. 30 October 1946. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Rieder, Ross (4 June 2000). "Boeing Machinists Strike, 1948". HistoryLink. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Business: Strike Settlement". Time Magazine. 12 January 1959. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 Wallen, Saul (June 1961). "The Struggle in the Cockpit". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Bealmear, Bart (12 April 2016). "The Southern Airways strike of 1960: ALPA's epic battle over fair wages for pilots". Walter P. Reuther Library. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Aviation: Cockpit Crisis". Time Magazine. 3 March 1961. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Durdin, Tillman (4 December 1966). "STRIKE THREATENS FUTURE OF QANTAS". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Harrison, Scott (18 August 2019). "From the Archives: 1966 airline strike over". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Airlines: Caught at the Crest". Time Magazine. 22 July 1966. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "B.O.A.C. IS GROUNDED IN LONDON BY STRIKE". The New York Times. 10 December 1967. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "B.O.A.C. STARTING TO RESUME FLIGHTS; Pilots Back After Strike -Full Service Wednesday". The New York Times. 7 April 1969. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Lufthansa Is Flying Again As 10‐Day Strike Ends". The New York Times. 9 February 1971. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Chng, Henedic (16 November 2017). "In 1980, Lee Kuan Yew told SIA pilots' union he was prepared to ground airline & start over". Mothership. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Leggett, Chris (July 1984). "Airline Pilots and Public Industrial Relations: The Case of Singapore Airlines". Indian Journal of Industrial Relations. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Cadambi, Anjali (22 November 2010). "American air-traffic controllers strike for benefits and pay, 1981". Global Nonviolent Action Database. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "El Al Takes Wing Again". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 19 January 1981. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Pact May End El Al's Strike". The New York Times. 28 December 1982. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "El Al Placed in Receivership". The Washington Post. 6 December 1982. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Saxon, Wolfgang (24 March 1985). "TENTATIVE AGREEMENT IS REACHED IN PAN AM STRIKE". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Baker, Bob (September 5, 1985). "Bitter Residue of Strike at United : Nasty Little War of Nerves Clouds the Friendly Skies". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ↑ Batkins, Michael (1 June 2025). "40th Anniversary United Airlines Pilots Strike". Air Line Pilots Association, International. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Makas, Kathy (3 March 2014). "The Eastern Airlines Strike of 1989". Walter P. Reuther Library. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Smith, Graham F. (June 1990). "From Consensus to Coercion: the Australian Air Pilots Dispute". Journal of Industrial Relations. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Egan, Timothy (22 November 1989). "Lured by Bonuses, Workers Vote to End Strike at Boeing". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Kraft, Scott (6 November 1993). "Labor Pains for La Belle France : Unions get new confidence after Prime Minister Balladur backs down in Air France strike". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  28. ↑ Trousset, Guillaume (6 October 2023). "12 octobre 1993 : Air France cloué au sol par une grève historique". L'Humanité. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  29. ↑ "Cathay's Attentive Attendants Get Fed Up". The New York Times. 15 January 1993. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "1993 Strike". Association of Flight Attendants. 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  31. ↑ Greenberg, Courtney (27 August 2024). "The last time Air Canada pilots went on a strike was in 1998. Here's what happened". National Post. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  32. ↑ Lee, Jong-Heon (11 August 2005). "Analysis: S.Korean airline hit by strike". United Press International. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "The Gate Gourmet Dispute". Striking Women. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  34. ↑ "FACTBOX-Brazil's deepening aviation crisis". Reuters. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  35. ↑ "Machinists Back Contract With Boeing; 8-Week Strike Ends". The Associated Press. November 2, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Air Caledonie bosses resign amid strike". RNZ. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  37. ↑ "Cheating and sacking push New Caledonia to boiling point". France24. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  38. ↑ Tremlett, Giles (5 December 2010). "Spanish prime minister uses military law to get airports moving again". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "What is the Qantas dispute all about?". ABC News. 29 October 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  40. ↑ "Air India pilots finally end their 58-day-long strike". India Today. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  41. ↑ Clark, Nicola (30 September 2014). "Air France, After Strike, Faces New Uncertainty". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  42. ↑ Chung, Lawrence (24 June 2016). "Flight attendants call off China Airlines strike that left 20,000 passengers stranded". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  43. ↑ "Rolls-Royce Barnoldswick: Deal with Unite union secures plant's future". BBC. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  44. ↑ Quinn, Ross (12 November 2021). "Saving the Future of Barnoldswick". Tribune. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  45. 1 2 Drew, James (22 September 2025). "Boeing strike in St. Louis echoes Pacific Northwest walkout, labor expert says". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  46. ↑ "Bombardier aircraft assembly workers back on the job after 18-day strike ends". CBC News. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  47. ↑ Rafique, Racy (17 August 2025). "4 things to know about the Air Canada labour dispute". CBC News. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  48. ↑ "Flysafair reaches wage deal with pilots, ending strike". Mail & Guardian. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
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