Pay protest: Avianca pilots threaten Friday slowdown

Pilots at Colombian carrier Avianca plan to slow down the airline's operations Friday to protest what their union says are substandard wages.

Pilots say they'll be slow to make calls about fueling, mobile stairs and other issues that could bog down the company's operations.

Union president Jaime Alberto Hernandez tells The Associated Press passengers will experience "operational disorder" as a result.

He says pilots agreed in 2003 to givebacks when Avianca was passing through financial troubles but its pilots now average roughly half the monthly wage of a pilot in countries such as Brazil and Peru.

Avianca has a 153-plane fleet and about 100 destinations inside and outside of Colombia.

The company says it is adjusting flight schedules to account for expected delays.