Dutch EasyJet flights to be hit by pilot strike

Pilots operating flights out of Amsterdam for low-cost carrier EasyJet will go on strike on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and pensions, their union said on Sunday.

The walkout is to last from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm (0400 to 1200 GMT) on Tuesday, the VNV union said on its website, with Dutch news agency ANP reporting dozens of flights are expected to be affected.

The union argues pilots are expected to do too many flying hours for the salary they earn and only receive a fraction of their pay when they are sick, and that the company does not contribute enough to their pension fund, according to ANP.

"We are very sorry for our passengers who will be the victims of this action, but at the moment we see no other solution," the union said.

The strike action comes a month after the British no-frills airline reported net losses of £20 million ($29 million, 25 million euros) for the first half of its fiscal year, following the Brussels attacks and after taking a big hit from adverse foreign exchange moves.