Easter travel chaos amid airport strikes in Spain
Staff at Palma de Mallorca airport have called strikes until the end of March
Holidaymakers planning to jet off to Spain over the Easter holidays should brace themselves for potential disruption and delays due to airport strikes, several UK airlines have warned.
Thousands of British tourists are expected to flock to Spanish destinations in the coming days, but Palma Airport in Mallorca has already been impacted by strike action since March 22, and the work stoppages organised by security screening company Trablisa are expected to last until March 31.
This has led to fears of lengthy queues and wait times at security checkpoints, which could result in missed flights for some passengers. Tour operator TUI has sent an email to its customers, advising them to allow extra time for security checks and warning of a "potential situation" for those flying to and from Palma Airport.
Mallorca’s airport handles around 30 million passengers every year, making it the third busiest in all of Spain.
In addition to the strike action, Jet2 has also issued a warning about flight delays due to ongoing maintenance work at the airport, which is expected to last until March 27. The airline has advised passengers to allow extra time to clear immigration in both departures and arrivals.
Strike action has become a common occurrence in the aviation industry in recent months, with several airlines cancelling flights due to staff walkouts.
Here in Spain, Iberia was forced to axe 460 routes back in January when its staff downed tools for four days.
But industrial action isn’t the only thing putting a spanner in the works for travellers. Ryanair recently announced it would have to cancel a number of flights this summer due to delays in aircraft delivery. The budget airline attributed the cancellations to delays in the delivery of new Boeing 737 planes.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said: "We therefore urge all Ryanair customers to book early in order to secure the lowest available air fares for summer 2024."
Image: Ralf Roletschek via Wikimedia Commons
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