Easter travel chaos warning as strikes threaten disruption at major airports in Spain
Brits travelling for the Easter holidays could face delays as strike action threatens to disrupt major Spanish airports.
Brits heading abroad this Easter are being urged to plan ahead, as disruption looms at airports across Spain.
Strike action is set to hit Spanish airports as unions representing airport ground staff have announced industrial action at several major Spanish airports.
The workers involved carry out vital roles including baggage handling, aircraft turnaround, boarding and other key ground services.
The action has been called by major unions including UGT, CCOO and USO amid ongoing disputes over pay, working conditions and efforts to secure wider industry agreements.
Employees of Groundforce, a company operating at 12 airports across Spain, are due to begin an indefinite strike from Friday 27 March.
Planned walkouts will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, across three daily time slots: 5am to 7am, 11am to 5pm, and 10pm to midnight.
In addition, other ground handling staff have scheduled 24-hour strikes on 28–29 March and again from 2–6 April.
If no resolution is reached, further action could continue on a rolling basis throughout the year, potentially including weekends.
The disruption is expected to impact airports in Spain including Madrid-Barajas, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante-Elche, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona-El Prat.
Popular island destinations such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife (North and South), Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Ibiza are also set to be affected, along with Valencia and Bilbao.
Travellers could face longer queues at check-in and bag drop, delays in receiving luggage and slower boarding and disembarkation processes.
Holidaymakers are being advised to check their flight status regularly via airline or airport websites and to allow extra time at the airport.
