MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile: LATAM Airlines pilots' union ends 8-day strike

LATAM expects operations to return to normal on November 25

LATAM Airlines Group and the SPL pilots' union (Sindicato de Pilotos de Latam) reached an agreement late Wednesday, concluding the airline’s first pilot strike since 1997. The work stoppage, which involved 464 unionized pilots, had led to widespread flight cancellations over the past eight days.

The new collective agreement, which establishes competitive working conditions and guarantees the company’s sustainability, will be in force from 2025 through 2028.

The strike, which began on November 12, followed the failure of mandatory mediation after 97% of the union members rejected the company’s final offer on November 3. Negotiations, which began on September 1, reportedly stalled over the level of salary adjustments for 2026 and 2027. The pilots had sought a 1.5% adjustment for those years, which the company deemed “unaffordable.”

SPL leader Mario Troncoso acknowledged the effort, stating, ”We want to thank our members for their unity, trust, and courage, as well as the Chilean and foreign unions that expressed their support and solidarity, and the Labor Directorate (DT) for its responsible and professional mediation in this process.“

The company expressed its gratitude in a statement to the DT for its ”professionalism“ and regretted the complications faced by passengers.

While the strike is over, the airline confirmed operations would not normalize immediately. Flight cancellations communicated to passengers through November 24 will remain in effect. LATAM expects operations to return to normal on November 25.

LATAM Vice President of Customer Service Paulo Miranda thanked the teams that worked during the strike ”to protect passengers,” while advising travelers to continue checking the status of their flights through the airline's official channels.