An indefinite strike by air-traffic controllers employed by private provider Saerco entered its fourth day on 20 April, disrupting tower operations at nine regional airports: Seville, Jerez, A Coruña, Vigo, Madrid-Cuatro Vientos and the Canary Island hubs of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, El Hierro and La Palma. The dispute centres on staffing shortages and last-minute roster changes that unions say compromise safety and violate Spain’s working-time rules. Spain’s Ministry of Transport has imposed minimum-service levels but still expects up to 20,000 flight movements to be trimmed this month, affecting an estimated 2.6 million passengers. The timing is sensitive: Seville is hosting the Copa del Rey football final and its famous Feria de Abril fair this week, while the Canary Islands are approaching the May Day holiday rush. The controller strike overlaps with separate handling walk-outs at Groundforce and Azul Handling. Aviation analysts warn of compound disruption: if a flight survives tower staffing cuts, it may still face ground delays on arrival. Airlines have begun proactive cancellations on heavily duplicated domestic routes where rail alternatives exist, redirecting scarce slots to international services with tight connection windows. Under EU 261, travellers are entitled to re-routing or refunds plus care (meals, hotels, transfers). Business-travel managers should brief employees on documentation requirements for compensation claims and consider rail or road alternatives between Madrid, Seville and Galicia. For Canary Island trips, longer layovers or overnight stays on the mainland may be prudent. Looking ahead, the strike underscores structural tensions in Spain’s liberalised tower market. Saerco’s contracts at the affected airports expire in late 2027; unions demand that the next tender re-bundles smaller towers under the public operator ENAIRE to ensure staffing depth and homogeneous labour standards.
Source: Idealista News
