Spanish flagship airline Iberia and budget carrier Ryanair said on Saturday they had cancelled all flights in and out of Spain after a wildcat strike by air traffic controllers paralysed airports.

Iberia said all flights were cancelled until Sunday 0500 GMT in a statement on its website. Ryanair said an update on the situation would be made on their website at 1830 GMT.

Spain said it would declare a state of emergency if air traffic controllers did not end the strike. The government was holding an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday morning to decide how to proceed.

 The Spanish army took over air control towers on Friday afternoon after unofficial strike action by controllers grounded planes and disrupted travel for around 250,000 people on one of Spain's busiest holiday weekends.-Reuters