Business travellers should brace for sporadic delays at major Spanish airports after the StrikeTracker platform confirmed on 14 October that three separate labour actions remain in force. The most disruptive is Groundforce’s nationwide ground-handling strike, affecting Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga and Palma de Mallorca, which began on 4 August and is set to run indefinitely with minimum-service orders of 70 %. At Madrid-Barajas, maintenance staff responsible for the automated baggage-handling system (SATE) continue a five-day-a-week stoppage that will last until 30 November, while tower-control walkouts led by USCA and CCOO at nine regional airports — including Sevilla, Vigo and Jerez — were extended on 1 October. Although today’s action is classified as “minor”, airlines are pre-cancelling a small number of domestic connections and warning of longer queues at baggage reclaim. For global-mobility teams moving assignees into Spain, the strikes mean adding buffer time to itineraries, routing critical travellers through Bilbao or Valencia (currently unaffected), and checking whether VIP fast-track services are operating. Employers should also advise staff to carry digital copies of residence and work-permit dossiers in case missed connections force re-entry through a different Schengen country. AENA, the Spanish airport operator, told media it is negotiating a framework deal with unions that would link future wage rises to inflation but has not ruled out further service-minimum decrees to protect holiday traffic during the All Saints long weekend (1 November). Given that Barcelona hosts two major trade fairs in late October — Smart City Expo and IBTM World — mobility managers should monitor airline waiver policies and consider rail alternatives such as the Madrid-Barcelona AVLO service, which is adding extra frequencies.
Source: StrikeTracker
