Argentina Strike Grounds 319 Flights, Strands Thousands

The 24-hour strike by aeronautical workers in Argentina over salary disputes with the government resulted in the cancellation of 319 flights, impacting more than 37,000 passengers.

The strike left hundreds of passengers stranded and lined up at customer service counters at Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires.

The unions are demanding better pay rises to adjust to the 264-percent annual inflation rate, which is the highest worldwide.

President Javier Milei has announced plans to privatize the state-run Aerolineas Argentinas airline as part of his adjustment pack to tackle inflation and state deficit.

As workers walked off the job for the second time this month, President Javier Milei was preparing to sign a decree declaring the aviation sector an essential service to guarantee a minimum level of service during such strikes.

The 24-hour strike led to the cancellation of 319 flights, mainly impacting domestic and regional travelers, but also hundreds of passengers heading to the United States and Europe.

The general secretary of the Association of Aeronautical Personnel, Juan Pablo Brey, said the purchasing power of aviation staff had fallen 40 percent since Milei took office in December.

Since taking office in December, Milei has applied a drastic austerity programme in a bid to rein in chronic inflation and decades of government overspending.

However, annual inflation still stands at 236.7 percent and the economic slowdown sparked by the budget cuts has hit Argentines' pockets hard.

Aerolineas Argentinas said the strike was "untimely, abusive and out of context, promoted by union leaders in an irresponsible manner".

Milei's spokesperson Manuel Adorni said that those striking would be "fined and sanctioned".

Milei had tried to privatize Aerolineas Argentinas as part of his sweeping economic reforms, but was forced to remove the company from the list of those to be privatized to get his measures through parliament earlier this year.