Qantas is to face yet another round of delays due to industrial action in the coming days.

The airline said that some 1,300 passengers will be affected as its maintenance engineers begin their latest round of strikes tomorrow over pay and claims that management continues to try to move Australian jobs elsewhere.

The Australian flag carrier’s maintenance facilities in Melbourne will be shut on Friday, which will result in two cancelled flights whilst another six flights scheduled to depart from Brisbane will be delayed.

Olivia Wirth, group executive for the airline, issued an apology to Qantas customers in a statement on Thursday. She said that all those affected had already been accommodated to later flights and every effort was being made to ensure that they reach their destination with as little delay as possible.

Members of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) have been staging strikes for some time and the latest action comes as the union extends a ban on overtime, according to the airline.

The ALAEA and two other unions continue to battle Qantas management over pay and recent policies; earlier this week some 4,000 ground crewmember staged a strike over the ordeal. Some 6,000 passengers were affected following more than 50 schedule changes and 28 cancellations by Qantas management.