Fox said that according to sources at AENA, the state-controlled airport management company, more than 2,000 flights and around 250,000 passengers could be affected as terminals threaten chaos on the eve of a national five-day holiday at eight airports.
The affected airports are in Madrid, the Baleiric and Canary Islands, and the Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa.
Minister of Development Jose Blanco gave the striking controllers until 9:30 p.m. local time to get back to work.
But by 11.30 p.m. the chaos forced Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to order the military takeover, according to The Reader, a Spanish news website.
The Reader also reported that the 70 per cent of striking air traffic controllers all cited “medical reasons” for not turning up to work.
The Air Traffic Controller’s Union said the walkout was a “spontaneous” reaction to Friday’s approval by the Spanish Cabinet of a plan to partially privatize AENA, Fox News reported.
Fox went on to cite a union official saying that the controllers became “very nervous” over a partial privatization plan of AENA that may result in longer shifts.
