Dispatchers at Southwest Airlines raised safety concerns about flights to El Salvador, where the airline plans to send jets for major maintenance work.

Dispatchers plan and monitor the progress of an aircraft's journey, make decisions regarding delays and cancellations and, together with the plane's pilot, are responsible for a flight's safety. The Transport Workers Union said Southwest wants to operate the flights without properly training workers.

Southwest said it was communicating with dispatchers to make sure they are properly trained for the "limited number" of international flights. The company said the dispatchers had handled such flights before and could do their work safely and efficiently.

Original source: Associated Press