A strike by Groundforce workers at 13 airports in Spain has left passengers without their luggage, as flights leave with bags left on the trucks.
Travelers departing from 13 Spanish airports affected by the industrial action have arrived at their destinations and found their luggage has been left behind, according to local media reports. Canarias reported that the first day of strike action by Groundforce workers, the ground handling company that serves Air Europa flights, caused continuous disruption throughout the airline’s services, as passengers arrived at the Canary Island airport without their luggage, which had to remain at their departure points.
Work stoppages occur between 5am and 7am, 11am and 5pm, and 10pm and midnight. The first day of industrial action affected 13 airports in Spain, including three in the Canary Islands – Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura – where disruptions continued throughout the day. These images were not caused by the island’s airport itself, but by incoming flights, mainly from Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, and the delay reached almost an hour.
Affected airports include Barcelona-El Prat, Madrid-Barajas, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Bilbao, Lanzarote, Alicante, Valencia and Malaga. The Groundforce strike is scheduled for this Wednesday (1 April) and Good Friday (3 April), with the possibility of continuing indefinitely.
Due to the connectivity of the flight network, delays increased on Monday, which caused a major disruption to departures from the airports of the three islands. At the country’s main hubs including Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, flights departed all day with empty luggage, meaning many travelers arrived at their destinations without their luggage.
It is important to note that the Madrid-Gran Canaria route has had a strong impact, Air Europa runs seven daily services on this connection. According to Orlando Robledano, secretary of the aviation department in the UGT union, the disruption at the Canary Island airport was reduced due to the minimum mandatory service levels set by Groundforce for all Lanzarote Airport employees. Even the representatives of the council of works were given a notice that requires adherence to these basic service requirements, to effectively prevent the degree of labor participation required for the operation of the industry of this scale.
This factor, combined with the security for domestic services at the Canary Island stations that must operate despite schedule constraints, ensured that the problems were much less at the islands’ airports compared to the peninsular areas. Other areas affected include Alicante, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Málaga.
According to Hosteltur, a possible strike at the Canary Island airport during the busy period of Holy Week, from Maundy Thursday (2nd April) to Easter Monday (6th April), can be avoided. Workers at Menzies – which provides check-in, check-in and baggage handling services for carriers including Norwegian, EasyJet and British Airways – are reported to have reached an agreement with the works council and their union representatives from UGT to cancel the planned industrial action which would have affected around 3,000 of the company’s workers across Spain, 600 of which are based in the Canary Islands.
Meanwhile, at least six flights left Madrid-Barajas Airport on Monday without passengers’ luggage due to ongoing industrial action by ground-handling firm Groundforce. Disruption is being reported at all airports on the first day of the indefinite strike, although Madrid and Barcelona are the worst affected, union sources told Telecinco.
Travelers described long lines and checked luggage being thrown from the truck on the opening day of the tour. An indefinite strike by Groundforce ground staff began this Monday at Barcelona Airport, All ground handling operations are affected by action. Long queues were formed at El Prat Airport, Barcelona, where Alberto García reported: “There were some delays, and some flights even left with very little luggage. It was the protesters themselves who informed the passengers that their bags would not arrive on time.”
“The unions continue to fight for their cause and demand that the company adhere to the wage agreements set out in the collective bargaining agreement.” Currently, many travelers have experienced long flight delays or found their luggage left behind.
In Madrid, passengers have to wait a long time to check their luggage. Others described wait times of “four or five hours.”
Many flights, especially those departing from Madrid, “arrive without luggage, and problems are spreading,” a UGT spokesperson informed Europa Press, noting that “there is no guarantee that the luggage will arrive.” The disruptions “affect not only direct flights but also many connecting flights, as passengers arrive without their luggage and therefore miss their next flight.”
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