Lisbon Stands Together With Porto, Faro, Madeira, And Azores As Portugal’s Airports Are Facing Major Disruptions Due To Strikes From September 2025 To January 2026

Published on September 5, 2025

By: Paramita Sarkar

Portugal’s airports are facing important disruptions erstwhile again arsenic ground-handling unit employed by Menzies Aviation, antecedently known arsenic Groundforce, person initiated a caller activity of onslaught action. This business action, organized by nan Metallurgical and Related Industries Union (SIMA) and nan Transport Union (STA), began connected September 3, 2025, and is group to proceed until January 2, 2026, spanning a full of 76 onslaught days. Travelers flying to and from Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and nan Azores airports are advised to hole for important delays and disruptions passim this period.

The onslaught will origin wide issues, particularly during highest recreation times specified arsenic long weekends, nan Christmas period, and New Year holidays. The action follows months of anterior disruptions successful July and August, which led to flight cancellations, delays, and baggage handling failures, pinch immoderate flights departing without rider luggage and travelers reporting agelong queues and missed connections.

The Scope of nan Strike

The ongoing onslaught action affects respective awesome Portuguese airports, including those successful Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and nan Azores. The union-led onslaught is anticipated to effect a wide scope of ground-handling operations, from baggage handling and check-in services to aircraft marshalling and fueling. The disruptions will beryllium felt passim September 2025 and will intensify during highest vacation periods specified arsenic the Christmas holidays and New Year.

The onslaught schedule is comprehensive, pinch aggregate weekends and holidays planned for disruption, including:

• September 3–9, 2025
• September 12–15, 2025
• September 19–22, 2025
• September 26–28, 2025

The action will proceed into October, November, and December, culminating successful an extended onslaught from December 19, 2025 to January 2, 2026. Passengers should expect wide delays, cancellations, and imaginable problems pinch checked luggage, arsenic nan onslaught will importantly impact ground-handling operations crossed Portugal’s busiest airports.

The Impact connected Flight Operations

The onslaught will apt origin major delays and flight cancellations astatine Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and Azores airports. Ground-handling unit are responsible for galore basal services astatine airports, and their absence has a nonstop effect connected nan timely departure and presence of flights. Travelers person already knowledgeable lengthy queues, delays, and missed connections successful erstwhile months, and nan business is expected to worsen during nan upcoming onslaught periods.

Airlines operating successful and retired of Portugal are apt to beryllium affected by nan disruptions. Passengers should beryllium prepared for imaginable delays to their flights, peculiarly during busy recreation periods specified arsenic weekends, holidays, and nan Christmas season. Airlines are expected to rumor updates and rebooking options arsenic nan onslaught progresses. Travelers should cheque their flight status regularly and see booking elastic tickets aliases considering carry-on luggage arsenic checked baggage whitethorn beryllium taxable to delays.

Government Measures to Mitigate nan Impact

To trim nan effect of nan strike, Portugal’s Arbitration Court has imposed minimum work levels, including:

• 100% of crushed services for flights betwixt mainland Portugal and nan autonomous regions of nan Azores and Madeira.
• At slightest 35% of services will beryllium maintained for different international flights departing from Portuguese airports.

These minimum work requirements are intended to guarantee a grade of operational continuity, particularly for basal flights. However, national leaders reason that these measures will weaken nan wide effectiveness of their onslaught and trim their bargaining power, fixed that galore flights will still beryllium taxable to constricted ground-handling services.

Why Are nan Strikes Happening?

The strikes are being organized by nan Metallurgical and Related Industries Union (SIMA) and nan Transport Union (STA), representing ground-handling workers employed by Menzies Aviation. The workers are demanding higher wages, compensation for night shifts, and afloat respect for existing labor agreements. The conflict centers astir improving nan position and conditions for workers who execute captious services astatine airports, often nether demanding conditions.

Despite nan disruptions caused by nan strikes, national representatives person expressed a willingness to prosecute successful further negotiations pinch nan authorities and employers to reside their concerns. However, until an statement is reached, nan onslaught will proceed to impact ground-handling services crossed Portugal’s awesome airports.

Travelers Prepare for Disruptions

Given nan extended quality of nan onslaught and nan anticipated disruptions, travelers are advised to return nan pursuing measures:

1. Check Flight Status Frequently: Regularly show your flight’s position via your airline’s website aliases mobile app to enactment updated connected imaginable delays aliases cancellations.
2. Arrive Early: Arrive astatine nan airdrome astatine slightest 90 minutes earlier departure to let for further clip to navigate immoderate delays caused by nan strike.
3. Travel pinch Carry-On Luggage: If possible, see walking pinch carry-on luggage to debar imaginable issues pinch checked baggage.
4. Flexible Travel Plans: If possible, see flexible recreation plans and guarantee you person insurance coverage successful lawsuit your formation is delayed aliases canceled owed to nan strike.
5. Stay Informed: Follow section news and updates from Portugal’s airports for nan latest accusation regarding nan onslaught and immoderate changes to formation schedules.

Significant disruptions to aerial travel

The ongoing strikes astatine Portugal’s awesome airports, peculiarly successful Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and nan Azores, are expected to proceed causing important disruptions to aerial recreation done January 2026. With 76 onslaught days planned and aggregate highest periods of recreation affected, passengers should beryllium prepared for delays, flight cancellations, and issues pinch baggage handling. To minimize disruption, travelers are encouraged to cheque formation statuses, get early, and see elastic recreation arrangements. The minimum work levels imposed by nan Arbitration Court will thief support immoderate operations, but nan effect of nan onslaught will still beryllium felt crossed Portugal’s busiest airports.