Airport Ground Staff Strikes

Unionised Swissport ground staff announced a series of strikes back in February, which could affect air travel in Spain this Easter.

Airport ground staff have been striking every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday since February 27th and are set to continue until April 13th, affecting travel over the Semana Santa period.

Union representatives are demanding better pay and working conditions.

The staff walkouts will impact services such as passenger assistance and air cargo handling and could lead to flight delays and cancellations. The action may also cause delays at airport security and baggage halls.

The airports affected are Alicante, Almería, Barcelona, Burgos, Gran Canaria, Huesca, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Reus, Salamanca, Tenerife Sur, Valencia, Valladolid, and Zaragoza.

Passengers have been advised to arrive for flights early to avoid any potential delays at security gates and leave plenty of time to collect bags upon arrival.

Earlier this month, Jet2 issued a warning to its passengers flying to Spain and posted a statement on its website saying: “We wanted to let you know that Ground Handling strike action is taking place on 27th February 2023 through to 13th April 2023 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, supported by the Swissport Ground Handling Service in Barcelona and Lanzarote (Arrecife).

“This means that there will not be as many members of staff available at the airport. If you’re affected, rest assured we’ll try to keep any disruption to a minimum.”

Other strikes that could affect Easter travel in Spain include stoppages by Seville Metro services. Staff is due to walkout throughout Holy Week as well as the Feria de Abril, running from April 23rd to 29th.

Anyone planning to visit Granada over Easter week could also be affected as staff at the famous Alhambra Palace have also announced stoppages for April 5th and 6th. This means that unless no agreement is reached before then, the Alhambra will be closed on Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday.

Many thanks to THE LOCAL es