Iberia strike

Iberia has cancelled over 430 flights this morning due to the strike called by two major cabin crew trade unions today and tomorrow. Over a third of Iberia's domestic routes have been cancelled and 70 international flights have also been affected by the strike.

Passengers expecting to fly from Madrid airport are the worst affected, followed by passengers on flights to and from Barcelona.

Domestic flights from Madrid to Barcelona, Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, Jerez, Alicante, Valencia, Santiago, A Coruña, Vigo, San Sebastián, Bilbao, Pamplona and Asturias.

Iberia flights run on Vueling, Air Nostrum and other airlines are not affected by the strike.

Student bus crash in Girona

A Dutch student aged sixteen died this morning and 25 of her fellow passengers were injured when their bus crashed in the L'Escala exit of the AP-7 motorway in Girona. The coach driver lost control at a bend in the exit road, and the bus turned over.

The bus was transporting a group of 60 Dutch students and teachers on a school trip to Calella in Barcelona.

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident but a Catalan government spokesman told the media this morning that the bus driver, who is among the injured, had been given a breathalyser test and the results had been negative. The exit chosen by the driver was not however the exit usually taken en route to Calella, something which is also being investigated by police.

Firemen and rescue workers had difficulty in freeing some of the accident victims from the two-story bus who were trapped inside, and they said it was a miracle that only one victim had been killed. The injured passangers have been taken to local hospitals and two of them are described as being in a serious condition. The remaining students and teachers have been taken to their original destination, Calella.

Swine flu vaccine in Spain

Spanish Health Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, announced this morming that the first batch of swine flu vaccines has reached Spain and that vaccinations will begin in November. She also said that antiviral remedies such as Tamiflu will soon be available once more in chemists.

Jimenez said that a final decision regarding the starting date for vaccinations would be agreed according to a proposal to be made by the Antiviral Subcommittee to the Interterritorial Health Council at its next meeting on 22nd October. The date is expected to be the same for all autonomous regions in Spain.

Spain is to receive 37 million doses of the vaccine that will be administered in two doses per person. Groups considered to be highest risk will be the first to receive the vaccine, i.e. health workers, patients with chronic illnesses and pregnant women. The logistics of this mass vaccination plan have yet to be determined.

First electric car in Spain

The Renault factory in Valladolid will launch Spain's first series of electric cars in 2011.

According to a government announcement today, Renault will start to manufacture the electric car on a massive scale in 2011 and will also design a new model to substitute its Modus. Renault has also agreed to develop an environmental friendly engine in 2012 and both the Spanish President, José Luis Zapatero, and the Industry Minister, Miguel Sebastían expressed satisfaction today. According to Sebastián, Renault's announcement means that jobs at the plant in Valladolid will be safe for at least another ten years.

Zapatero said the announcement was proof that Spain is competitive, has a qualified workforce and that the big brands have confidence in the country and that today was a day for Spaniards to show self confidence.

The Spanish government has been active throughout negotiations with Renault and Sebastian announced that the plan presented today would cost 500 million euros over the next 4 years. The majority of this investment will come from public money with 70 million going towards the manufacture of the new electric car and another 300 for the development of environmentally friendly parts for Renault models.


The Chairman of Renault Spain declared that Spain has had to compete with countries with much lower production costs and he expressed his gratitude to the Spanish trade unions who have agreed to a freeze on wages in exchange for no job losses. Renault employs over 9,000 workers in Spain in its three factories in Valladolid, Palencia and Sevilla.