On Sunday, Jetstar Japan Co, a budget airline, had to cancel two domestic flights, a round-trip service between Narita and Fukuoka airports, due to an inability to secure the necessary crew for operation, as stated by an airline official.
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This is the first instance of Jetstar's flights being canceled because of a crew shortage, with some members of the company's flight crew labor union having been on strike since Friday. However, the official refuted the claim that the strike was the cause of the disruption, attributing it instead to illness.
The union reported that a number of pilots and flight attendants have been striking each day, with approximately 120 members declining unscheduled work on holidays since the beginning of December. The airline typically requests crew members who are on holiday to substitute for colleagues in case of illness.
The strike was initiated by the union after negotiations with the management broke down over demands for the payment of employees' unpaid wages, alleging that overtime work had been incorrectly calculated. The union has announced plans to continue the strike until January 7 of the following year.