Just as airports brace for the post-Christmas rush, the National Aeronauts’ Union (SNA) declared a state of strike on 26 December 2025. The union—which represents pilots, copilots and flight attendants—will hold online assemblies between 26 and 28 December to vote on a wage offer tabled by airlines at the Superior Labour Court. If members reject the proposal, a face-to-face meeting in São Paulo on 29 December could formally set a walk-out for 1 January 2026.
SNA is demanding inflation-plus pay rises and improved rostering rules, arguing that record passenger volumes and higher ticket prices have not translated into better working conditions. Carriers, represented by the National Airline Syndicate (Snea), say margins remain thin after the fuel-price spikes seen earlier in the year and warn that excessive labour costs would hamper fleet expansion plans for 2026.
A strike at the height of Brazil’s summer holiday season would paralyse both domestic and international operations, hitting leisure and corporate travellers alike. São Paulo/Guarulhos alone expects nearly two million passengers between Christmas and New Year; travel-management companies estimate that even a 24-hour stoppage could strand 300,000 travellers and cause a cascading backlog that would last well into the first business week of January.
![Brazilian pilots and cabin crew threaten New-Year strike, risking nationwide flight disruption]()
Travellers scrambling for alternative routings should also verify that their travel documents and transit visas remain valid. VisaHQ’s Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers quick online checks, application support, and expedited processing for Brazilian and third-country visas, allowing companies to reroute staff through neighbouring hubs or switch to foreign carriers without paperwork delays.
Multinationals with time-sensitive projects or assignee rotations in early January should activate contingency plans now. Options include re-booking onto foreign carriers with non-Brazilian crews, rerouting via neighbouring countries, or delaying trips until after 4 January, when the industrial-action threat may have subsided. Employers must also be prepared to cover additional accommodation and per-diem costs should employees become stuck en route.
The Labour Ministry is mediating but has so far refrained from imposing minimum-service decrees. Observers note that previous aeronaut strikes were averted at the eleventh hour, yet the union’s hardening tone suggests that concessions will be needed to keep planes flying into 2026.
SNA is demanding inflation-plus pay rises and improved rostering rules, arguing that record passenger volumes and higher ticket prices have not translated into better working conditions. Carriers, represented by the National Airline Syndicate (Snea), say margins remain thin after the fuel-price spikes seen earlier in the year and warn that excessive labour costs would hamper fleet expansion plans for 2026.
A strike at the height of Brazil’s summer holiday season would paralyse both domestic and international operations, hitting leisure and corporate travellers alike. São Paulo/Guarulhos alone expects nearly two million passengers between Christmas and New Year; travel-management companies estimate that even a 24-hour stoppage could strand 300,000 travellers and cause a cascading backlog that would last well into the first business week of January.
Travellers scrambling for alternative routings should also verify that their travel documents and transit visas remain valid. VisaHQ’s Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers quick online checks, application support, and expedited processing for Brazilian and third-country visas, allowing companies to reroute staff through neighbouring hubs or switch to foreign carriers without paperwork delays.
Multinationals with time-sensitive projects or assignee rotations in early January should activate contingency plans now. Options include re-booking onto foreign carriers with non-Brazilian crews, rerouting via neighbouring countries, or delaying trips until after 4 January, when the industrial-action threat may have subsided. Employers must also be prepared to cover additional accommodation and per-diem costs should employees become stuck en route.
The Labour Ministry is mediating but has so far refrained from imposing minimum-service decrees. Observers note that previous aeronaut strikes were averted at the eleventh hour, yet the union’s hardening tone suggests that concessions will be needed to keep planes flying into 2026.
