Britons heading to a popular vacation destination are being cautioned about potential travel disruptions caused by upcoming strikes scheduled to commence this week.
Travelers passing through Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) may encounter substantial delays as Swissport employees are planning a strike starting on Tuesday, July 28, affecting airlines like TUI. Additional walkouts in the Swissport ground handling strike are slated for various dates during the summer holidays, including August 1, 4, and 8 from 7am to 12pm and 7pm to 10pm.
Complicating matters further, comprehensive 24-hour walkouts are also planned for this week, starting today (Monday, July 27) until Thursday (July 30). This industrial action, referred to as the metal sector strike, is organized by three unions and encompasses 39,000 workers across the Balearic Islands, advocating for “fair wage increases and protection against inflation,” as stated by Palma Airport.
Palma Airport has highlighted a critical overlap on Tuesday, July 28, when both strikes coincide, potentially causing significant disruptions and delays for travelers passing through the airport, affecting multiple airlines.
The airport explained that Swissport offers crucial passenger, baggage handling, and ramp services to specific international carriers like TUI, Condor, TAP Air Portugal, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, Albastar, and DAT. While other airlines at Palma utilize different ground handling services such as Ryanair, EasyJet, or Jet2, the airport cautioned that “extensive airport strikes can occasionally lead to minor ripple effects,” but Swissport passengers are likely to experience the most significant impact.
Moreover, the airport warned that the regional metal sector strike “encompasses technical staff throughout the entire airport,” extending its repercussions beyond airlines handled by Swissport to affect all carriers operating at Palma, Ibiza, and Menorca. They emphasized that passengers on any airline might encounter localized delays during the specified dates (July 27 to 30).
During the strikes, passengers could face prolonged waiting times and potential operational bottlenecks. Additionally, travelers might experience delays during check-in, baggage drop-off, boarding, and baggage claim at Palma Airport amid the Swissport strikes.
For individuals planning to travel to or from Palma, the airport provided the following recommendations:
Palma Airport, also known as Son Sant Joan Airport, is among the largest Spanish airports, connecting Britons to the capital of Mallorca (Majorca) and beyond. Last July, 1.8 million tourists transited through Palma Airport in pursuit of a sun-soaked summer retreat in Spain.
The scheduled airport strikes for this week follow protests against overtourism in Palma on Sunday, July 26. Approximately 25,000 individuals participated according to the police, while the organizers, Menys Turisme, Mes Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), estimated a turnout of 70,000 protesters.
For more details on the upcoming strikes during the summer, visit the Palma Airport website.
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