Czech leisure and corporate travellers booked on the once-weekly Jet2 service between Prague (Václav Havel Airport – PRG) and Leeds Bradford (LBA) can breathe a sigh of relief after airport staff at the UK gateway called off a three-day strike at the last minute. The industrial action by air-traffic controllers, security screeners and terminal support workers had been scheduled for 16–18 October 2026 and threatened to disrupt half-term holiday traffic across northern England. In an update checked at 05:00 UTC on 18 October, aviation news outlet *Airspace Times* confirmed that the Unite union had suspended the walk-out so that members could vote on an improved pay offer. The airport now expects to run a normal schedule this weekend. For Czech passengers, the timing mattered: Jet2’s weekly outbound flight LS 203 from Leeds to Prague (and the return LS 204) is set for Sunday afternoon, 18 October. Had the strike gone ahead, the UK carrier would have faced staffing shortages at its home base, raising the risk of late-notice cancellations that trigger EU–UK compensation rules. With the suspension, travellers should experience the usual 2-hour-15-minute hop, but Jet2 advises checking status before leaving for the airport. Travel managers should still monitor developments. Unite has already pencilled in further stoppages between 23 October and 2 November if members reject the new deal, dates that overlap with Czech autumn school holidays and could affect incentive trips and SME trade missions. Companies with employees transiting LBA are urged to keep flights on flexible or refundable fares and to brief staff on their rights under EU 261/UK 261 in case of renewed disruption. Although Leeds Bradford is a secondary UK airport, its link to Prague gives Yorkshire-based manufacturers and universities a non-stop connection to the Czech capital’s growing tech and life-sciences sector. Any prolonged labour dispute would therefore ripple beyond holiday traffic, potentially forcing travellers onto longer routings via London, Manchester or Amsterdam.
Source: Airspace Times
