Planes of Spain's national airline Iberia rest on the tarmac at an airport in Spanish capital Madrid Dec. 4, 2010. (Xinhua/Chen Haitong)

MADRID, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Spain's Balearic Islands have fined Spanish airline Iberia 25,000 euros for sexual discrimination after it was revealed that women applying for jobs as cabin crew were asked to take pregnancy tests as part of the application process, local media reported on Monday.

This is the first time such a fine has been imposed on the Balearic Islands where the regional labor department considers the request for a pregnancy test is a clear case of sexual discrimination and a major breach of labor laws.

They became aware of the condition in 2016 when inspectors visited Iberia as part of a campaign against workplace discrimination.

They discovered the airline had stipulated a series of requirements which were passed on to the recruitment consultancy "Randstad" which carried out their recruitment process.

Iberia forms part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns British Airlines, Aer Lingus and Vueling. The company defended its actions saying they were common practice in Spain and carried out to "avoiding assigning a task which would put a pregnancy at risk."

The company insisted no candidate had ever been rejected simply because they were pregnant, but say they will no longer ask for the test to be carried out.

Iberia has the possibility of appealing the decision, first to the regional authorities and then to the courts if their original appeal is rejected.