Overview

• Two overlapping strike campaigns by Azul Handling and Menzies have been in effect since August 15, hitting ground-handling operations at Barcelona-El Prat and other key airports.
• Passengers at El Prat faced localized queues, regional delays and at least four cancellations this weekend despite seasonal traffic levels.
• Spain’s Ministry of Labour imposed minimum-service mandates covering up to 85 percent of ground staff, enabling most flights to operate and prompting union complaints about blunted impact.
• UGT has accused both companies of breaching sector agreements, citing staffing shortages, precarious contracts and failed SIMA mediation with no settlement in sight.
• An unrelated global cabin-crew strike by Air Canada accounted for some cancellations, complicating the attribution of disruptions at Spanish airports.