Europe Engulfed In Travel Strike Wave As France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, And More Face Airport Shutdowns And Cancellations In September 2025: New Report You Need To Know

Published on September 18, 2025

Europe is presently successful nan midst of a awesome recreation onslaught wave, pinch airdrome shutdowns and wide cancellations affecting countries for illustration France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and nan Netherlands. These disruptions are driven by ongoing labour disputes complete rising surviving costs, mediocre moving conditions, and stagnant wages, forcing workers astatine cardinal airports to locomotion retired and halt operations. As a result, travelers crossed nan continent are facing important delays, uncertainty, and cancellations, making it important to enactment updated connected nan latest developments successful nan coming weeks.

The European recreation scenery is facing 1 of its astir disruptive seasons successful caller memory, arsenic thousands of travelers are being caught successful nan mediate of wide airdrome strikes crossed nan continent. The strikes, led by airdrome staff, baggage handlers, information workers, and aerial postulation controllers, are unfolding against a backdrop of rising surviving costs, costs disputes, and increasing dissatisfaction complete moving conditions. With September ushering successful nan autumn and autumn recreation rush, passengers moving done France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, nan Netherlands, and different European countries are confronting delays, cancellations, and mounting uncertainty astir their journeys.

Italy

Italy, agelong a magnet for world travelers, has been astatine nan halfway of escalating business action astatine its busiest airports.

Workers had been barred from striking during nan captious summertime vacation period, spanning from precocious July to early September. However, erstwhile nan ineligible “blackout period” ended, unions wasted nary clip successful launching protestation action. On September 13, 2025, airdrome handling unit astatine Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports staged a 24-hour strike, sending ripples of disruption crossed nan country’s bluish aviation hub.

The unrest did not extremity there. Another awesome onslaught loomed connected September 26, 2025, erstwhile baggage handling staff, crushed crew, and Volotea hose labor joined together successful coordinated protests. The action dispersed crossed airports passim Italy, threatening travelers departing from aliases transiting done cardinal gateways specified arsenic Rome Fiumicino, Venice Marco Polo, and Naples International.

• Workers involved: baggage handlers, crushed staff, hose unit (Volotea).
• Core demands: amended wages, alleviation from stressful moving conditions, and stronger protection for unit during highest workload periods.
• Impact: wide delays and cancellations, uncertainty for connecting passengers, and heightened accent astatine check-in counters.

Travelers successful Italy are being urged to show real-time updates from their airlines and stay alert of their authorities nether EU Regulation 261/2004, which entitles passengers to rerouting, compensation, and support successful nan arena of important disruption.

Portugal

Portugal has entered an extended play of turbulence arsenic workers belonging to nan Metallurgical and Related Industries Union (SIMA) proceed to fastener horns pinch their employer, Menzies Aviation. The halfway of nan conflict lies successful net stagnation, insufficient compensation for nighttime shifts, and nan nonaccomplishment to grant antecedently agreed-upon labour arrangements.

Throughout August 2025, workers staged rolling protests that disrupted operations astatine nan nation’s awesome airports. With nary colony successful sight, nan onslaught run has been extended done nan remainder of 2025 and into early 2026.

The planned onslaught almanac is extended and designed to support unit connected management:

• September 2025:
  • September 12–15
  • September 19–22
  • September 26–28
• October 2025:
  • October 3–6
  • October 10–13
  • October 17–20
  • October 24–27
  • October 31–November 3
• November 2025:
  • November 7–10
  • November 14–17
  • November 21–24
  • November 28–December 1
• December 2025 into January 2026:
  • December 5–8
  • December 12–15
  • December 19–January 2

The strikes are expected to deed Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and nan Azores, cardinal introduction points for visitors arriving from Europe and beyond.

• Workers involved: baggage handlers, check-in staff, airdrome work workers.
• Core demands: net raises, night-shift compensation, and respect for past agreements.
• Impact: rolling disruptions lasting aggregate days, longer queues astatine check-in, delays successful baggage claim, and cancellations of short-haul and long-haul services.

For travelers, nan proposal is to scheme pinch flexibility, cheque replacement dates wherever possible, and expect that moreover if their formation departs, it whitethorn acquisition delays successful crushed handling services.

France

France’s aerial recreation web is nether unit arsenic air postulation controllers, among nan astir captious players successful nan aviation ecosystem, hole for strikes pursuing grounded negotiations betwixt their union, SNCTA, and nan Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).

The conflict centers astir costs increases and staffing levels, pinch controllers informing that they look unsustainable activity accent without improved salary and resources. The scheduled strikes connected September 18–19, 2025 frighten not only flights landing aliases departing successful France but besides any flights passing done French airspace.

The Syndicat National des Contrôleurs du Trafic Aérien (SNCTA), which represents astir 70% of France’s aerial postulation controllers, had initially called for a onslaught today. However, nan onslaught was called disconnected pursuing nan caller assignment of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, leaving nan national without a nonstop authorities typical to prosecute with. As a result, nan SNCTA has now moved nan onslaught to October 7–9, 2025.

With Paris Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Nice, and Lyon serving arsenic awesome hubs for European and world connectivity, nan effect of moreover a two-day onslaught is far-reaching. Transcontinental routes crossing Europe are expected to reroute, starring to longer formation times and cascading delays.

• Workers involved: aerial postulation controllers.
• Core demands: costs improvements and solutions to staffing shortages.
• Impact: formation cancellations astatine French airports, delays crossed European airspace, disruption for flights not moreover rubbing down successful France.

Travel authorities person advised passengers to cheque their airlines’ notifications carefully, arsenic immoderate services whitethorn beryllium preemptively canceled to trim congestion and forestall chaos astatine airports.

Spain

Spain’s aviation manufacture is facing two simultaneous waves of onslaught action that are importantly straining airdrome operations.

First, baggage handlers represented by Azul Handling, a institution wrong nan Ryanair Group, person staged recurring strikes. The action is ongoing each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 05:00 a.m. to 09:00 a.m. until nan extremity of 2025. The timing straight targets highest departure hours, expanding nan consequence of missed connections and disrupted itineraries.

Second, information unit astatine Madrid-Barajas Airport, employed by nan backstage information patient Trablisa, began an indefinite onslaught connected September 14, 2025. The dispute, rooted successful costs disagreements, has led to visible disruptions astatine 1 of Europe’s busiest airports.

The mixed effects are being felt astatine airports crossed nan country, including Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, South Tenerife, and Valencia.

• Workers involved: baggage handlers (Azul Handling), information unit (Trablisa).
• Core demands: costs increases, amended labour protections.
• Impact: recurring early-morning disruptions, agelong information queues astatine Madrid-Barajas, baggage delays crossed Spain’s busiest airports.

Travelers flying into aliases retired of Spain are powerfully advised to get astatine airports importantly earlier than usual, arsenic bottlenecks successful some baggage handling and information could origin last-minute boarding issues.

Netherlands

Although not ever successful nan spotlight, nan Netherlands has besides knowledgeable expanding labour unrest wrong its aviation sector. Workers astatine Amsterdam Schiphol and different location airports person voiced concerns complete rising workloads, peculiarly during highest recreation seasons, coupled pinch stagnating wages.

KLM passengers walking done Amsterdam Schiphol connected September 17 are group to brushwood awesome disruptions arsenic nan airline’s crushed unit hole to shape a four-hour walkout. The strike, scheduled betwixt 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., has been called by members of nan CNV and FNV unions amid an ongoing conflict pinch nan bearer complete corporate bargaining agreements.

This latest protestation comes connected nan heels of a akin onslaught held conscionable a week earlier, which forced nan cancellation of much than 100 flights. With tensions still unresolved, KLM has erstwhile again been compelled to cancel a important number of services planned for September 17.

The brunt of nan cancellations is expected to autumn connected nan airline’s short-haul network, which forms nan backbone of its European operations. Passengers person been warned to brace for extended delays successful rebooking, arsenic nan hose useful to accommodate travelers affected by nan walkout.

Reports bespeak that unions are preparing to escalate demands done imaginable onslaught actions later successful nan autumn, aligning pinch broader European movements. While circumstantial onslaught dates person not yet been confirmed, Schiphol, arsenic 1 of Europe’s busiest transportation hubs, could spot disruptions that would ripple acold beyond Dutch borders.

• Workers involved: airdrome work staff, crushed crew, imaginable baggage handlers.
• Core demands: amended salary scales aligned pinch costs of living, stronger protections against overwork.
• Impact: consequence of wide disruption for connecting flights done Schiphol, a cardinal hub for intercontinental travel.

Passengers readying autumn journeys done Amsterdam are encouraged to show national announcements closely, arsenic immoderate coordinated onslaught could severely impact Europe-to-Asia and transatlantic routes.

Causes and Broader Context

The strikes crossed Europe stock respective communal themes that constituent to deeper systemic issues wrong nan aviation industry:

• Cost of Living Pressures: Inflation has eroded purchasing power, and workers reason wages person not kept up pinch rising expenses successful housing, food, and transport.
• Stressful Working Conditions: Long shifts, irregular hours, and understaffed teams person created an situation of fatigue and frustration.
• Broken Agreements: In countries for illustration Portugal, unions reason that employers person grounded to uphold antecedently negotiated contracts, sparking further resentment.
• Regulatory Restrictions: Seasonal onslaught bans successful Italy exemplify nan hostility betwixt governments seeking to protect highest tourism periods and workers demanding nan correct to protest.

Impacts connected Travelers

For passengers navigating Europe during this turbulent autumn, nan effects are contiguous and disruptive:

• Flight delays and cancellations: Entire schedules whitethorn beryllium adjusted aliases grounded.
• Congested airports: Check-in, baggage claim, and information processes slowed by reduced staff.
• Uncertainty successful connections: Flights crossing French airspace aliases connecting done hubs for illustration Madrid aliases Lisbon whitethorn beryllium delayed moreover if nan departure airdrome is not straight connected strike.
• Passenger rights: Under EU Regulation 261/2004, travelers whitethorn beryllium entitled to compensation, rebooking, aliases accommodations depending connected nan quality and long of nan disruption.

Recommendations for Passengers

To negociate nan challenges posed by nan onslaught wave, passengers should adopt proactive strategies:

• Monitor updates: Regularly cheque hose notifications, airdrome websites, and recreation alerts.
• Arrive early: Especially astatine airports successful Spain and Portugal, wherever information and baggage strikes straight impact rider flow.
• Travel pinch flexibility: Consider booking flights pinch elastic alteration policies to let for rescheduling.
• Know your rights: Familiarize yourself pinch EU rider compensation laws successful lawsuit of cancellations.
• Pack smart: Keep essentials for illustration medications, chargers, and cardinal documents successful carry-on luggage successful lawsuit checked baggage is delayed.

Europe’s aerial recreation is facing awesome disruptions this September arsenic a bid of strikes crossed France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and nan Netherlands person led to wide airdrome shutdowns and formation cancellations. These actions, driven by disputes complete salary and moving conditions, are causing important delays and complications for travelers passim nan continent.

As autumn progresses, nan likelihood of further escalation remains high. Unless agreements are reached betwixt unions and employers, Europe’s aviation web will proceed to acquisition rolling disruptions, pinch ripple effects crossed world formation schedules. For travelers, this intends vigilance, flexibility, and mentation are nary longer optional—they are basal for navigating Europe’s skies during a play marked by business unrest.