Workers who assist passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) at Palma de Mallorca Airport have voted to launch an open-ended, around-the-clock strike starting 17 June, escalating a labour dispute that has simmered since Easter. The walk-out—confirmed by both the UGT and CCOO unions—threatens one of Spain’s busiest holiday gateways just days before the peak summer season. PRM staff help an average of 1 300 travellers per day, from wheelchair users to unaccompanied minors with medical conditions. Without them, airlines cannot legally board passengers requiring special assistance, forcing carriers either to re-book or cancel affected seats. Aena, the airport operator, says it will subcontract emergency personnel, but unions counter that replacements will not be fully trained on the airport’s layout or its 35 new EES biometric kiosks. For corporate travel planners, the operational knock-on could be significant. Even travellers who do not require assistance may face longer queues at security and boarding gates as ground handlers re-allocate staff. Business jets using Palma’s GA terminal will also be obliged to contract private mobility services that cost up to €350 per passenger.
![Palma Airport Mobility-Assistance Staff Announce 24-Hour Indefinite Strike from 17 June]()
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Talks at the Balearic Islands’ mediation service TAMIB collapsed late Thursday after the employer, services contractor Adelte, offered a 5 % pay rise—below the 8 % inflation rate in the Balearics last year—and no increase in staffing levels. Unions complain that chronic under-staffing forces many employees to walk more than 15 kilometres per shift pushing wheelchairs between distant gates. Aena urges passengers travelling from 17 June onward to request assistance at least 48 hours before departure so that contingency teams can be dimensioned. Companies with frequent Palma rotations should consider routing meetings through Barcelona or Valencia during the first strike week and monitor Aena’s daily strike impact bulletin published at 07:00 local time.
For international travellers needing to adjust their itineraries or explore alternative Spanish entry points, VisaHQ can streamline the visa and travel-document process. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) provides up-to-date requirements, expedited processing options and real-time status tracking, making last-minute reroutes through cities like Barcelona or Valencia far less stressful.
Talks at the Balearic Islands’ mediation service TAMIB collapsed late Thursday after the employer, services contractor Adelte, offered a 5 % pay rise—below the 8 % inflation rate in the Balearics last year—and no increase in staffing levels. Unions complain that chronic under-staffing forces many employees to walk more than 15 kilometres per shift pushing wheelchairs between distant gates. Aena urges passengers travelling from 17 June onward to request assistance at least 48 hours before departure so that contingency teams can be dimensioned. Companies with frequent Palma rotations should consider routing meetings through Barcelona or Valencia during the first strike week and monitor Aena’s daily strike impact bulletin published at 07:00 local time.
