Spain Easter strikes
Travel chaos is escalating for Easter — Madrid and Barcelona airports face ground‑handler and ATC strikes that are already causing widespread delays and trigger EU261 compensation rules for affected passengers. Spain is joining France, Italy, Portugal and Germany as further airport staff prepare strikes from March 27, increasing the risk of holiday cancellations and reroutes across Europe. (travelandtourworld.com) (travelandtourworld.com)
Groundforce has notified an indefinite partial strike starting Friday 27 March with stoppages scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during three daily windows — 05:00–07:00, 11:00–17:00 and 22:00–00:00. (adept.travel) Menzies staff have announced full 24‑hour walkouts on 28–29 March and again on 2–6 April, which the unions say could be extended if mediation fails. (adept.travel) Airports named by multiple reports as high‑risk are Adolfo Suárez Madrid‑Barajas (MAD), Barcelona‑El Prat (BCN), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Málaga‑Costa del Sol (AGP), Alicante‑Elche (ALC) and Seville (SVQ), and Groundforce operates at 12 Spanish airports. (idealista.com) The strikes were called by Spain’s main handling unions CCOO, UGT and USO over pay, working conditions and a demand for a sector‑wide agreement. (visaverge.com) Under EU rules (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004), passengers whose flights are cancelled or arrive three hours or more late can be entitled to up to €600 in compensation unless the carrier proves “extraordinary circumstances,” and the Commission’s interpretative notice reiterates the three‑hour arrival threshold. (eur-lex.europa.eu) The unions and industry sources warn the action could affect millions of travellers across Spain over Semana Santa, and recent disruption data show earlier incidents have produced dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays in a single day (eg. 21 cancellations and 447 delays on 9 March). (murciatoday.com) Mediation is under way for at least some disputes (Menzies and UGT under SIMA), Aena’s airport notices remain the operational reference for airlines and passengers, and several industry guides say carriers are processing rebooking waivers while EU261 claims remain an available remedy. (idealista.com) Possible additional air‑traffic control actions have been reported as a separate threat that could compound ground‑handling disruption, according to industry outlets monitoring controller staffing. (eturbonews.com)
