Air passengers travelling to and from Spain should expect delays and baggage problems due to a strike by ground staff employed by a Ryanair subsidiary there.
Employees of Azul Handling walked off the job at Spain's major airports on Friday morning. Passengers should check in advance whether their flights are going ahead or have been delayed. They should also arrive at the airport earlier than usual, as baggage check-in and security checks may take longer than normal.
Azul Handling employees are demanding better pay and working conditions. For the time being, the strike will last until Sunday, but it may be continued every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of the year.
Baggage handler Menzies, which works for several airlines, also announced that there will be strikes every weekend from Saturday until the end of August.
So far, the Azul Handling strike has had little impact. Airport operator Aena reported only minor delays at the larger airports online and no flights had been cancelled. The situation in Mallorca was also virtually normal.
One of the reasons for this is that there is a legal minimum service requirement for strikes in Spain. This effectively restricts the right to strike.
The UGT trade union has also accused Azul Handling's management of violating the right to strike.
