British holidaymakers heading to Majorca are bracing for disruption as two separate strikes at Palma de Mallorca Airport are set to collide on Tuesday 28 July, creating a “crucial overlap date” that could bring delays and bottlenecks.
The industrial action begins today (27 July) with a 24-hour metal sector strike involving 39,000 workers across the Balearic Islands, organised by three unions demanding “fair wage increases and protection against inflation”. The walkout covers technical personnel across the entire airport and will run daily until 30 July.
“Two strikes at Palma Airport overlap July 28, threatening delays for Brits. Swissport and metal sector walkouts affect TUI and others.”
Adding to the pressure, ground handling staff employed by Swissport will strike on Tuesday 28 July, then again on 1, 4 and 8 August for four-hour windows: 7am to 12pm and 7pm to 10pm. Swissport provides baggage handling and ramp services for airlines including TUI, Condor, TAP Air Portugal, Air Canada and Etihad Airways.
Palma Airport warned that the overlapping strikes on Tuesday could cause “operational bottlenecks” and longer waiting times at check-in, bag drop, boarding gates and baggage carousels for Swissport-served passengers. However, it stressed that “widespread cancellations are unlikely”.
Other carriers such as Ryanair, EasyJet and Jet2 use different ground handlers. Ryanair told Sun Travel it expects to “operate as normal” with “no impact to operations”. Yet the airport cautioned that “large-scale airport strikes can occasionally create a minor knock on effect”, potentially causing localised congestion or minor delays at security control even for unaffected airlines.
Last July, 1.8 million tourists passed through Palma Airport, one of Spain’s busiest summer hubs. With the peak holiday season in full swing, travellers are being urged to check for updates and allow extra time.