Strike at Mallorca Airport on 28 July and 1, 4 and 8 august

Travellers flying to Mallorca in the coming weeks should expect delays at Palma de Mallorca Airport. Staff at ground handling company Swissport have announced that they will be striking for several days during the busy summer holiday period.

Strike Mallorca

On 28 July and 1, 4, and 8 August, holiday travellers to Mallorca need to be aware of work interruptions at the airport. According to local media, ground staff will be striking between 07:00 and 12:00 and between 19:00 and 22:00. The strike is not expected to cause cancellations, but flights will be delayed.

This is because it will take slightly longer than usual to load and unload luggage. As a result, queues at the luggage belts are also expected to get longer.

Terms and conditions of employment

The strikes were called by the Spanish trade union CCOO after negotiations with Swissport ended without result. Among other things, employees are demanding better working conditions, extra protection against high summer temperatures, more staff, a more efficient organization of work, and full implementation of the collective agreement for ground handling. The trade union has indicated that it remains willing to enter into dialogue with the employer.

Am I entitled to compensation?

Under EU Regulation 261/2004, strikes by airport or security staff are considered a third-party strike, which airlines usually classify as an extraordinary circumstance. In those cases, passengers are not entitled to financial compensation.

However, if your flight is cancelled due to airline staff joining the strike (such as cabin crew or airline ground staff), you may be entitled to compensation.

Regardless of the cause, passengers always have the right to:

• Rebooking on an alternative flight, or
• Refund of the ticket price if the flight is cancelled.

If you want to check whether your case qualifies for compensation, you can use the EUclaim calculator.