Urgent Travel Alert: Strikes In Spain, Portugal, France, And Italy Set To Disrupt Uk Tourists This September

Published on September 4, 2025

UK visitors readying to recreation this autumn should beryllium alert of important disruptions caused by planned strikes successful Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy. These strikes, involving aerial postulation controllers, baggage handlers, and different airdrome staff, are expected to origin terrible delays, cancellations, and logistical issues crossed awesome vacation destinations. With nan ongoing labour disputes, travelers whitethorn look challenges successful managing their itineraries, and it’s important to enactment informed astir imaginable disruptions successful these celebrated European recreation hotspots.

Air recreation crossed Europe is poised for disruption this September arsenic respective countries brace for a activity of planned strikes affecting cardinal airports and airlines. With nan highest summertime play now down us, nan autumn “shoulder season” offers travelers a chance to threat up affordable deals and bask a much relaxed recreation experience. However, this respite whitethorn travel pinch immoderate unexpected challenges, arsenic workers successful aggregate countries, including Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, hole for business action.

Despite nan extremity of nan summertime holidays, galore destinations successful Europe stay celebrated successful nan weeks ahead. Autumn offers nan cleanable opportunity for couples and those without children to research destinations without nan crowd and power of summer. However, travelers looking to get distant successful September and October whitethorn look delays, cancellations, and different disruptions arsenic labour disputes return halfway shape crossed nan continent.

Italy: Widespread Strikes astatine Airports and Airlines

Italy’s aerial recreation assemblage is bracing for a important effect arsenic unions representing a scope of airdrome workers and formation unit person called for strikes passim September. The first activity of strikes is group to statesman connected September 6, pinch easyJet workers astatine Catania Fontanarossa Airport and Swissport labor astatine Milan Linate Airport joining forces for a 24-hour walkout. Swissport handles a important information of airdrome services, including formation preparation, fueling, and crushed unit operations, which intends nan onslaught could origin delays and cancellations for respective airlines.

Additionally, connected nan aforesaid day, airdrome workers astatine Pisa International Airport and Florence Airport are scheduled to clasp a four-hour strike. Although easyJet has expressed its committedness to minimizing nan effect of nan disruptions, travelers flying done these airports should beryllium prepared for imaginable delays.

The strikes are not constricted to conscionable 1 day. A 24-hour onslaught is besides planned for September 26 astatine some Milan Linate and Milano Malpensa airports. Security unit astatine Cagliari Elmas Airport connected nan land of Sardinia will besides locomotion disconnected nan occupation for 24 hours that day. This bid of actions is apt to disrupt recreation successful Italy, peculiarly astatine awesome airports serving world and home flights.

France: Air Traffic Controller Strike Looms

As expected, France will besides beryllium importantly affected by business action successful September, pinch aerial postulation controllers preparing for a onslaught that will span from September 18–19. The onslaught follows a breakdown successful negotiations betwixt their union, SNCTA, and nan French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) complete salary disputes.

This onslaught is peculiarly concerning because of nan ample number of flights that transverse French airspace. Even travelers not flying to aliases from France whitethorn acquisition disruptions, arsenic galore European flights walk done French airspace. It’s advisable for anyone readying to alert crossed Europe to cheque their formation status, arsenic nan onslaught could lead to wide delays and cancellations.

The onslaught is portion of a larger activity of business action crossed France, linked to broader protests against nan projected 2026 nationalist budget. French unions are expected to mobilize successful solidarity pinch nan aerial postulation controllers, which could further impact crushed proscription services for illustration buses and trains. For those heading to France successful mid-September, it’s important to enactment updated connected nan latest developments, arsenic nan country’s carrier infrastructure will apt acquisition wide disruptions.

Spain: Airport Workers Demand Labor Rights

In Spain, nan labour conflict involves Azul Handling, a baggage handling institution wrong nan Ryanair Group, whose labor are fighting for amended labour rights. Unionized workers astatine Azul Handling, which manages nan mostly of Ryanair’s baggage operations, person planned regular strikes for nan remainder of 2025. The strikes are scheduled to return spot connected Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, pinch disruptions occurring betwixt 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. each day.

Several of Spain’s busiest airports will beryllium impacted by nan strikes, including Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tenerife South, and Valencia. Despite nan anticipated strikes, Ryanair has downplayed nan imaginable for awesome disruptions, citing Spain’s minimum work laws during nan highest summertime period. According to Ryanair, these laws should mitigate immoderate important impacts connected their flights.

Nonetheless, passengers flying retired of these airports should stay alert and cheque their formation statuses for updates. The strikes could origin delays successful baggage handling and crushed services, perchance affecting departure times.

Portugal: Ongoing Strike Action astatine Major Airports

Portugal’s aerial recreation assemblage will besides look important disruptions this September owed to strikes by crushed unit represented by nan Metallurgical and Related Industries Union (SIMA). Workers from Menzies Aviation, 1 of Portugal’s largest crushed services providers, are pushing for amended salary and conditions, particularly for those moving nighttime shifts. The ongoing labour conflict has led to planned strikes that will impact respective airports crossed nan country.

The first activity of strikes is group to return spot from September 3 to 9, followed by further business action planned for mid-September, moving from nan 12th to nan 15th, nan 19th to nan 22nd, and nan 26th to nan 28th. The onslaught action will proceed into October, pinch further planned walkouts from October 3 to 6, October 10 to 13, October 17 to 20, October 24 to 27, and October 31 to November 3.

The strikes are expected to impact awesome airports specified arsenic Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and nan Azores, causing imaginable delays and disruptions to crushed services for illustration baggage handling, check-in, and boarding procedures. Menzies Aviation has yet to remark connected nan effect of these strikes, but travelers flying done these airports are urged to hole for imaginable delays and cheque for updates connected their flights.

Impact Across Europe: A Complex Picture

The strikes crossed Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal are conscionable a fewer of nan ongoing labour disputes that could effect aerial recreation successful Europe this autumn. While nan enarthrosis play traditionally offers cheaper recreation options, nan disruptions caused by these business actions whitethorn overshadow immoderate imaginable savings. For travelers readying trips to these destinations, it is basal to enactment informed astir onslaught schedules and imaginable disruptions.

As airlines and airports activity to negociate nan effect of these strikes, passengers are advised to cheque formation statuses regularly, particularly if they are walking done awesome hubs for illustration Milan, Paris, Madrid, aliases Lisbon. With respective unions mobilizing for amended moving conditions, nan coming weeks will apt beryllium a challenging clip for European aerial travel, particularly for those flying to aliases from affected countries.

While Europe remains a apical destination for autumn travel, nan bid of strikes planned successful Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal will undoubtedly impact aerial travel. Travelers should beryllium prepared for imaginable disruptions, and proactive steps specified arsenic booking early, monitoring formation statuses, and considering replacement routes tin thief mitigate nan effect of these ongoing labour disputes.