Strike looms for Mexican airline flight attendants

MEXICO CITY, May 31 (Reuters) - Flight attendants at airline Aeromexico plan to strike on Sunday if they do not reach a deal in last-ditch pay talks with Mexico's largest carrier, union sources said, a move that would ground around 300 aircraft.

Aeromexico, owned by investors headed by Citigroup's (C.N) local bank Banamex, flies to a dozen cities in the United States and a handful in Europe, Asia and South America. In Mexico, it has more than 20 domestic routes.

The nearly 1,500 flight attendants of Aeromexico, which was privatized last year, are demanding a 5 percent wage increase.

The airline's latest offer is a raise of 4.5 percent -- up from 4.25 percent -- accompanied by a savings plan that could hurt employee benefits, union sources said on Saturday.

Union leaders were negotiating with the company late on Saturday ahead of the strike deadline -- the first minute of Sunday local time (0501 GMT).

The first flights in Mexico likely to be affected by any strike action would be around 7 a.m. local (1200 GMT). The carrier does not normally operate during the night. (Reporting by Miguel Angel Gutierrez; Editing by Xavier Briand)