Pilots in the largest European discount carrier, Ryanair, began the largest strike in the history of the company on Friday at 3 in the morning.

Nearly 400 Ryanair flights all over Europe were cancelled on Friday. The strike should last 24 hours, and affect some 55,000 passengers, most of them in Germany (42,000).

Ryanair pilots from Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and Netherlands are participating in the strike, demanding new contracts which would guarantee them higher salaries and better working conditions.

Chief marketing officer at the airline, Kenny Jacobs, recently said that Ryanair was not prepared to accept the unreasonable demands which would compromise either the company’s low fares or the efficiency of their model.

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