Pilots at Iberia's Air Nostrum vote to go on indefinite strike

MADRID (Reuters) - Pilots for Spanish airline Iberia Regional Air Nostrum have "overwhelmingly" voted to go on an indefinite strike amid a wage dispute with the company, Spain's largest airline pilots' union said on Wednesday.

SEPLA said that 92% of its members voted to back the action, which seeks to "counteract the continuous blockade that technical crew members have been suffering from the company in the face of their legitimate demands".

"Iberia Regional cannot continue to operate at the expense of pilots' working conditions," SEPLA added.

The union did not provide a date for the start of the industrial action.

Pilots are asking for a 30% pay rise between 2023 and 2024. At the outset of the dispute, the airline said such a hike would put its viability at risk.

The new strike comes after eight 24-hour stoppages by Air Nostrum pilots - six in December and two at the beginning of January - led to dozens of flight cancellations.

The airline said in a statement that it "profoundly" lamented the union's plans to strike and described them as "unjustified at the current stage of negotiations".

It added that it maintained its willingness to negotiate and would sit down for talks with union representatives on Feb. 7 and 8.

Air Nostrum, a franchisee of Spanish flag carrier Iberia - which in turn belongs to the International Consolidated Airlines Group - operates a network of regional domestic and international flights under Iberia codes.

(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Sandra Malery)