The Civil Aviation Pilots' Union (SPAC) says TAP intends to cancel more than 400 flights between November and December, accusing the company of blaming professionals because of parental leave, according to an internal note.

In the message, to which Lusa had access, SPAC said that TAP, “through the Media, informed the Portuguese that it is concerned about 40 pilots and 110 cabin crew who, according to the law, have parental leave in December.

“Unless the legislation that regulates parental leave is a novelty this year, we are facing an attempt to prepare public opinion to make it plausible to cancel more than 400 flights, between the months of November and December”, accused the SPAC.

The union said that this number is “incomprehensible”, referring that “no matter how much we try to justify so many cancellations with the absence of 40 pilots, who were fathers and mothers, in a universe of 1,200, they will never be able to hide the irrefutable truth: there is a lack of pilots, there is a lack of cabin crew and a lack of planes”.