Baggage handlers to launch major action lasting until 2026<\/p>\n
\n The airline has played down the threat of disruption from strike action
\n Adam Loader\/Shutterstock\n <\/p>\n
Passengers flying to Spain with the low-cost carrier Ryanair are being warned of potential disruption for the rest of the year due to major strike action by baggage handlers.<\/p>\n
Baggage handlers with Azul Handlings, a company that works with the airline at several major Spanish airports, are set to strike from August 15 onwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The action is backed by Spain\u2019s UGT union, which claims \u201cconstant breaches\u201d of labour rights and precarious working conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Up to 3,000 staff will strike during the first round of action during the holiday weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago de Compostela are all set to be affected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A first bout of strike action will take place from August 15 – 17 in three slots throughout the weekend (05:00 to 09:00, from 12:00 to 15:00 and from 21:00 to 23:59).<\/p>\n
Further strikes will take place until December 31 in action covering some Wednesdays and Friday -Sunday periods. At Barajas Airport in Madrid, unions have called for up to 22 days of strikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the baggage handlers are only contracted to work on Ryanair services, it is only these flights that are expected to be affected.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the airline told UK media outlet Daily Mail that it did not expect any disruption from the strike action – but unions and travel experts are inviting passengers to check with the airline to see if they will be affected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ryanair flies several France-Spain routes to the listed airports, including from Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Poitiers, and Nantes among others.<\/p>\n