Spain airports strike: Holiday warning for Ryanair passengers as strikes to hit major airports including Madrid, Ibiza, Palma, until December - will flights be cancelled?
Strikes are set to affect major Spanish airports at key times of the day that could lead to flight delays and cancellations.
The General Union of Workers (UGT) has announced a state-wide strike at Azul Handling, part of the Ryanair group, in response to what they describe as "continuous precariousness" and "constant breaches" of labour rights. Azul Handling provides ground handling services to Ryanair group airlines at numerous Spanish airports.
It will face a series of work stoppages at all of its work centres and operational bases in Spain from 15 August. That includes airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago de Compostela.
Initially, the strike will take place on 15, 16 and 17 August, in three time slots: from 05:00 to 09:00, from 12:00 to 15:00 and from 21:00 to 23:59. It will then continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 31 December 2025.
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The strike call also extends to the weekends of 6-7 and 13-14 September; 11-12 October; 1-2 November, 8-9 November; 20-21 December, and 27, 28 and 31 December, Ondacero reported. The two main unions representing Ryanair’s ground handling staff at Barajas Airport (Madrid) have called for 22 days of strikes throughout the year, starting on August 15, during a long weekend, in protest against sanctions imposed on workers and the abuse of overtime.
If you are travelling to or from any of the above airports from mid-August onwards, you are advised to check with Ryanair if your flight will be affected. The strikes follow a request for mediation by the Air Sector of FeSMC-UGT to the Interconfederal Service of Mediation and Arbitration (SIMA), aimed at opening talks before any industrial action.
According to the union, the reasons for the protest include the lack of consolidation of working hours for permanent part-time staff, the imposition of additional hours under duress, and what they describe as excessive disciplinary measures. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “Ryanair does not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these third-party handling strikes in Spain.”