Strike Causes Chile Flight Cancellations

Flights in and out of Chile were cancelled on Tuesday as workers tied to the country's civil aviation authority went on a 24-hour strike ahead of a September 18 national independence day holiday.

Chile's civil aviation authority, the DGAC, said all of the country's airports were affected as a majority of workers affiliated with it went on strike to demand improved benefits and working conditions.

"There will be no planes taking off today," said DGAC chief General Maximiliano Larraechea.

Despite the strike, international flights have been landing in Santiago, but have been unable to take off.

Regional carrier LATAM Airlines cancelled all of its flights in and out of Santiago until midnight Tuesday. In total over 90 of LATAM's flights were cancelled, affecting over 16,000 passengers, the company said.

LATAM said it was reprogramming those flights and would make an additional 22 flights available on Wednesday, allowing an extra 4,000 passengers to travel.

Nearly 10,000 passengers have already rebooked their flights with LATAM or asked for a refund.

Other airlines made adjustments to their flight schedules ahead of the strike.