Another aviation crisis loomed Wednesday ahead of the winter vacation season as S. Korean Air pilots threatened to go on strike the next day. If the strike goes ahead, some 204 passenger and cargo flights will be canceled on Thursday alone. But it may not come to that since management and labor remain in negotiations and the government plans to exercise its emergency arbitration right immediately to end the strike.

The carrier's pilots union said Wednesday it would strike from midnight on Thursday as wage negotiations with management had collapsed, and continue unless the company "sincerely" considers its demands. Out of 1,986 Korean Air pilots, 1,344 are unionized, and some 1,000-1,100 would take part in the strike.

As a result, 150 domestic, 30 international and 24 cargo flights could be cancelled on Thursday. All domestic routes except to Jeju and some flights to the U.S, China and Japan will be grounded.

Source: Agencies