Iberia, Spain's national airline, has cancelled hundreds of flights due to a two-day strike by cabin crew seeking pay increases.

The industrial action is the second by flight attendants in the past few weeks, with unions in dispute with management over their collective agreement.

About 184 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, but the airline said the vast majority of its long haul flights would operate normally.

Iberia said in a statement: "Because of the strike called by the CTA and SITCPLA cabin attendants' unions, Iberia is cancelling some flights scheduled for November 10-11."

The two unions called the walkouts in a bid to pressure for pay raises after a wage freeze instituted in 2005.

A spokeswoman for the airline said further cancellations were planned for the second day of the walkout, on Wednesday.

The airline, which is in merger talks with British Airways, announced last month that it would create a new airline to handle its short-haul and medium-haul routes in an effort to tackle challenges brought on by the economic downturn.

The carrier is also planning a hiring freeze, a company-wide wage freeze in 2010 and 2011 and lay-offs of all cabin attendants older than 55.