Major airport strikes could spell chaos for British holidaymakers in Spain from tomorrow. The industrial action will start on August 15 until August 17, and will continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until December 31, 2025, unless an agreement is reached.
Major unions UGT announced the action for ground staff at Azul Handling, Ryanair’s ground services subsidiary, who are responsible for tasks such as loading and unloading baggage and check-in services. The ground handlers’ walkout could reportedly impact more than 20 airports, including Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Tenerife Sur.
The strikes will run from 5am until 9am, from 12pm until 3pm, and from 9pm until 11.59pm, at all of the company’s bases and work centres in Spain.
On August 6, representatives from Azul and UGT met to try and reach an agreement, but it was not successful. The action has been attributed to working conditions, which include a lack of stable job creation and the “imposition and coercion” of overtime work, reports Spanish news outlet, El Pais.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Ryanair does not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these third-party handling strikes in Spain,” adding the UGT represents less than 20% of Azul staff.
The Ministry of Transport has reportedly agreed minimum service levels during the handling strike, and that domestic routes to and from non-mainland territories will range between 76% and 87% for August.
Affected airports
- Madrid
- Malaga
- Alicante
- Almeria
- Oviedo
- Barcelona
- Fuerteventura
- Girona
- Gran Canaria
- Ibiza
- Lanzarote
- Menorca
- Murcia
- Palma
- Reus
- Santander
- Santiago
- Seville
- Tenerife North and South
- Valencia
- Vigo
- Vitoria
- Zaragoza
