Ryanair strike threat set to add to summer airport chaos in Europe

There will be new travel chaos in Europe this summer with staff at Ryanair threatening strike action.

As striking airport workers in Paris caused the cancellation of dozens of flights on Saturday and promised more industrial action later in July, Spain-based cabin crew at Ryanair revealed they plan to strike for 12 days in July.

SAS and its pilots agreed to continue wage talks until Monday in the hope of avoiding a strike.

British Airways is expected to be the worst affected by the cancellation of summer flights in the UK, according to reports.

The government tried to allay fears about the staff shortages that have been a key factor in the recent travel chaos by saying security tests for new workers are being completed in record times.

The Department for Transport said counter-terrorist checks for staff to handle baggage and carry out security checks are being processed in less than a month.

There is still concern over the industry's ability to cope this summer despite the DfT's announcement.

Thousands of flights were canceled by British Airways and easyJet because of chaotic scenes at UK airports over Easter.

A fifth of flights at France's busiest airport were canceled on Saturday due to a wage dispute.

The crew in Spain said they would go on strike to demand better working conditions.

The 10 Spanish airports where Ryanair operates will be affected by their action later this month.

SAS and its pilots agreed to extend talks until Monday in order to avoid a strike that would cause a lot of misery to travellers.

SAS warns that about 30,000 passengers could be stranded each day if talks break down, due to the fact that almost 1,000 pilots in the three countries are planning to strike.

After the latest round of talks ended on Friday night, Hernaes said that they needed to sleep.

It is understood that slot amnesty will not apply to flights that are removed from airline schedules after Friday.

Airlines were allowed to return landing and take-off slots if they weren't able to use them despite having purchased them.

Airline workers across Europe have been staging strikes as the industry adjusts to a return to high travel demand after the H1N1 swine flu outbreak.