Travellers heading to Mallorca this week face fresh disruption after employees who assist passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) at Palma de Mallorca Airport walked off the job at 00:01 on 17 June. The indefinite, round-the-clock strike follows a 96 % vote in favour of escalation after mediation with service contractor Adelte collapsed. Unions CSIF, SOM and CESHA accuse Adelte of chronic understaffing, over-reliance on four-hour contracts and failing to replace ageing wheelchairs and boarding equipment. They argue that service quality has deteriorated to the point that vulnerable travellers routinely miss connections or are left waiting on aircraft. Adelte says it complies with the national minimum-service decree and is “open to dialogue.”
![Palma Airport Wheelchair-Assistance Staff Launch Indefinite 24-Hour Strike]()
While the current dispute centres on ground handling rather than entry requirements, it’s a timely reminder to make sure travel documents are in order before departure. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) offers an easy, step-by-step check of visa and passport rules for every nationality and can courier renewals or ancillary paperwork at short notice—particularly useful if teams need to reroute via alternative airports on the mainland or in neighbouring Schengen countries.
Airport operator Aena has activated contingency plans, but with Palma handling more than 1,000 daily movements at the height of summer, even minor delays in PRM transfers can cascade into system-wide boarding hold-ups. Tour operators have already warned of potential coach schedule knock-ons and are advising mobility-impaired customers to travel with companions where possible. Corporate travel managers should flag the issue to employees heading to Balearic off-sites: (1) request PRM assistance at the time of booking, (2) build in extra transfer time between arrival and meetings, and (3) remind staff of EU261 rights if delays exceed two hours. The strike underscores a wider trend: specialist ground-handling roles are becoming industrial flashpoints as Europe’s tourism rebound collides with cost-cutting contracts signed during the pandemic downturn.
While the current dispute centres on ground handling rather than entry requirements, it’s a timely reminder to make sure travel documents are in order before departure. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) offers an easy, step-by-step check of visa and passport rules for every nationality and can courier renewals or ancillary paperwork at short notice—particularly useful if teams need to reroute via alternative airports on the mainland or in neighbouring Schengen countries.
Airport operator Aena has activated contingency plans, but with Palma handling more than 1,000 daily movements at the height of summer, even minor delays in PRM transfers can cascade into system-wide boarding hold-ups. Tour operators have already warned of potential coach schedule knock-ons and are advising mobility-impaired customers to travel with companions where possible. Corporate travel managers should flag the issue to employees heading to Balearic off-sites: (1) request PRM assistance at the time of booking, (2) build in extra transfer time between arrival and meetings, and (3) remind staff of EU261 rights if delays exceed two hours. The strike underscores a wider trend: specialist ground-handling roles are becoming industrial flashpoints as Europe’s tourism rebound collides with cost-cutting contracts signed during the pandemic downturn.
