Spain Airport Strikes: Menzies Calls Off Walkout, Groundforce Action Continues

Travelers planning trips to Spain during the Easter holiday period have received mixed news regarding industrial action at the country’s major airports. While strike actions planned by ground handling staff at Menzies have been cancelled following a late agreement, walkouts by workers at Groundforce are proceeding indefinitely. The development comes during Semana Santa, one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, with millions of passengers expected to pass through Spain’s key travel hubs.

The Spanish trade union UGT confirmed that the planned strike affecting ground handling services provided by Menzies has been called off. The industrial action was originally scheduled to take place from Thursday, April 2, 2026, to Monday, April 6, 2026. The cancellation follows an agreement reached between the union and the company on Tuesday evening, March 31, 2026. According to reports, the deal addresses financial guarantees for employees and resolves complaints pertaining to overtime and shift scheduling.

Union representatives had indicated that workers were concerned over poor working conditions and the application of collective agreements for ground handling services. The resolution involves new financial guarantees for transferred employees and resolves differences over fixed and variable bonuses as well as annual working hours. The Menzies group has also pledged to address the management of overtime and shift scheduling. Company representatives stated these processes would be reviewed and improved to ensure proper implementation, aiming to avoid constant errors in management.

given the precarious situation of the staff at the different airports, where part-time contracts prevail over a real need for full-time hiring

Menzies Group

Following this agreement, the company committed to starting negotiations on employment in April 2026. The Menzies group won a tender from Aena, the Spanish airport authority, for ground handling services at several key locations in September 2023. These airports include Barcelona El-Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife North, and Tenerife South.

Groundforce Strikes Continue

Despite the resolution with Menzies, partial strikes remain in place for workers at Groundforce, the other major company staging industrial action. The first day of Groundforce staff strikes at 12 Spanish airports occurred on Monday, March 30, 2026. Reports from the initial day of action described significant disruptions, including mountains of luggage on the tarmac, huge queues, and flight delays. In Madrid, six planes reportedly took off without luggage due to the stoppage.

Groundforce walkouts are driven by salary disagreements and are scheduled to continue indefinitely on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until a deal is reached. During these strike days, Groundforce staff will stop working during specific time bands. The stoppages are scheduled from 05:00 to 07:00, from 11:00 to 17:00, and from 22:00 to 00:00. This schedule means that while some flights may operate normally, significant portions of the day will see reduced ground handling capacity.

Affected Airports

The industrial action affects a wide network of airports across mainland Spain and the islands. Groundforce employees work at a broad range of locations, meaning the ongoing strikes will impact travel to and from many popular destinations. The airports where Groundforce staff are striking include:

• Madrid-Barajas
• Barcelona-El Prat
• Palma de Mallorca
• Alicante-Elche
• Málaga-Costa del Sol
• Gran Canaria
• Valencia
• Ibiza
• Bilbao
• Lanzarote
• Fuerteventura
• Zaragoza (air cargo)

Menzies staff, whose strikes have now been cancelled, operate at a subset of these locations, including Alicante, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, and Tenerife North. The cancellation of the Menzies strike means that some airports may avoid the Easter strikes completely, whereas other key airports can expect potential problems and delays due to the Groundforce strike. However, the overall disruption is less than previously feared when both companies were scheduled to walk out simultaneously.

Broader Travel Context

The timing of the industrial action coincides with the rollout of the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) biometric border checks. Travelers heading to Spain for Easter 2026 face this double disruption of ground-handling workers striking at some of the country’s busiest airports while new border procedures are being implemented. Ground-handling covers everything that happens on the apron and in the terminal that is not directly operated by the airline, including baggage handling, aircraft marshalling, refuelling coordination, and passenger boarding support.

While some flights are expected to depart without luggage as airlines adapt schedules and staffing plans, most travellers face delays and queuing rather than cancellations. The situation remains fast-moving, with the Groundforce strikes having no confirmed end date and no indication of further suspensions. Holidaymakers planning a trip to Spain during this period are advised to check with their airlines for the latest status on flights and baggage handling capabilities at their specific departure and arrival hubs.