Easter airport strikes in Spain: what travellers need to know

• Groundforce, a key provider of services for Air Europa, faces an indefinite strike. Union sources have also warned that, if no agreement is reached, the stoppages could be extended to weekends until the end of the year.
• At Menzies, the union UGT has launched the mandatory mediation process ahead of a strike. Union representatives have indicated that, without a solution, further strike days could be scheduled on a recurrent basis up to 31th December 2026, including at weekends.

Why are they striking?

The dispute centres on the way pay and working conditions are being applied under the current collective agreements. It is a labour dispute in a sector under cost pressure, rather than a short, symbolic walkout.

Which Spanish airports and airlines may be affected

Both companies work under handling licences, and their contracts cover some of the country’s busiest airports and most popular holiday destinations.

The exact impact on any individual airline will depend on the airport, the local handler and the contingency measures that carriers put in place.

What the airport strikes could mean for your Easter travel

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Over Easter 2026, foreign residents in Spain and visiting holidaymakers may encounter:

• Longer queues at check‑in and bag drop, especially during the Groundforce strike windows
• Delays in baggage loading and unloading, which can slow down both departures and arrivals
• Slower boarding and disembarkation, particularly on busy routes and wide‑body aircraft
• A higher risk of knock‑on delays, as late‑running early flights affect later services through the day
• In some cases, missed connections may occur if connection times are tight and baggage handling is delayed

How disruption might differ across Spain

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The level of disruption is likely to vary between airports:

• Major hubs and tourist gateways such as Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca face high volumes of international traffic and complex schedules, so any slowdown in ground handling can ripple through the day.
• Canary Islands airports could see particular disruption, because both Groundforce and Menzies are active there.
• Regional airports served by these handlers may feel secondary knock‑on effects depending on aircraft rotations and staffing patterns.

At the same time, minimum service levels are expected to apply in line with Spanish rules for essential transport, limiting the extent of disruption on certain flights even when strikes go ahead.

What happens next with Spain’s Easter airport strikes

In the weeks leading up to Easter 2026, formal mediation between Menzies and UGT will continue under the supervision of SIMA. Groundforce and the unions CCOO, UGT and USO also remain in contact, although the unions consider previous negotiation attempts to have fallen short.

For foreign travellers living in Spain or visiting over Easter, the most reliable operational information will come from:

• Airlines operating the flight
• Affected airports, via official websites and social media channels
• Announcements from Aena and, where relevant, Spain’s transport authorities

The strikes highlight the importance of ground handling teams in keeping airports running smoothly. As Holy Week approaches, Spain’s airports will again try to balance the rights of workers to defend their conditions with the need to keep people moving across one of the country’s busiest travel seasons.

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