Colombia's Avianca reaches pay deal with ACDAC pilot union

BOGOTA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Avianca Holdings and 450 pilots from the Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC) reached an agreement on Wednesday that cuts worker pay but delivers job security for the next four years.

Colombia's flagship airline, which has more than 1,200 pilots in total, is continuing negotiations with other unions as it seeks to pull through the industry crisis sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

The ACDAC agreement included postponing some economic benefits for four years from the start of 2021, a 15% cut to wages and bonuses, a guarantee for minimum pay and annual salary increases of 2% or at inflation, whichever is higher.

Avianca Holdings CEO Anko van der Werff said both sides had the "common goal of supporting the airline to come out of this crisis as a stronger company," adding he hoped to reach similar agreements with other unions.

Avianca, which entered a restructuring process under U.S. bankruptcy law in May, has gradually restarted its operations after quarantine measures to control the spread of coronavirus in Colombia and other Latin American countries where it operates were lifted. A U.S. bankruptcy court earlier this month approved a proposed financing plan of more than $2 billion.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by Jane Wardell)