Ryanair passengers using Spanish airports face heightened disruption risks this weekend and throughout the festive period as rolling strike action by staff at Azul Handling, the airline’s in-house ground services partner, continues to bite.

The stoppages, which have been under way since mid-August, are scheduled to run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, alongside Wednesdays, through 31 December 2025 in multiple daily time windows, raising the likelihood of slow baggage delivery, long check-in queues and delayed departures at key holiday gateways.

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What is happening at Spanish airports this December

The industrial action centers on Azul Handling, the Ryanair-owned company that manages check-in, boarding, ramp and baggage operations for the carrier and its group airlines across Spain.

Unions representing Azul staff, led by the General Union of Workers (UGT), called the strike in August and have kept it going as a long-running, rolling campaign designed to pressure the company during peak travel periods.

Following an initial three-day stoppage from 15 to 17 August, the strike pattern switched to a recurring schedule. Workers are now walking out every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 31 December.

On each of those days, operations are targeted during three peak windows: 5:00 to 9:00 in the morning, 12:00 to 15:00 around midday, and 21:00 to 23:59 late in the evening. These time bands coincide with many of Ryanair’s busiest departures and arrivals, particularly at leisure-focused airports.

The timing means that today, Friday 19 December, sits squarely within both the weekday and weekend phases of the action. With Christmas and New Year getaways building, Spain’s main Ryanair bases can expect pressure on ground services precisely when demand is highest. While flights may still operate, bottlenecks in baggage handling and aircraft turnaround are likely to ripple through schedules.

Spanish transport authorities have imposed minimum service requirements, obliging a proportion of staff to work to protect essential connectivity, particularly for island routes.

Even so, unions and travel advisories warn that travelers should anticipate slower processing and potential delays when their flights coincide with the strike windows.

Key airports and routes most exposed to disruption

The strike covers all Spanish airports where Azul Handling operates on behalf of Ryanair, encompassing many of the country’s most important tourism and city-break gateways.

These include Madrid Barajas, Barcelona El Prat, Malaga Costa del Sol, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Valencia, Seville, and major holiday hubs such as Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Girona, Tenerife South and Lanzarote, as well as Santiago de Compostela.

For passengers, this means that typical winter sun routes from northern Europe into Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are all potentially affected.

Flights linking Madrid and Barcelona with secondary Spanish destinations are also exposed whenever Ryanair relies on Azul Handling at both ends of the journey.

Knock-on delays can spread to services departing later in the day, even outside the formal strike windows, as schedules attempt to recover.

Travel industry briefings suggest that pressure will be most intense in the early morning and late evening, when Ryanair schedules dense banks of departures and arrivals to maximize aircraft utilization. Baggage belts and check-in counters are expected to be particular pinch points, with some airports already reporting longer waits for luggage during previous strike days since August.

Although the walkouts are focused on Ryanair group operations, crowded terminals and shared infrastructure mean that other carriers could occasionally feel indirect effects, especially where ground facilities are already stretched.

However, Azul staff do not handle all airlines, and most rival carriers use separate service providers that are not part of this dispute.

Union demands and company response

UGT and other union representatives have framed the action as a response to what they describe as chronic precariousness for ground-handling staff. In public statements, they point to alleged abuses of overtime, unstable contracts for part-time employees, and disciplinary measures they say are disproportionate when workers refuse extra hours or raise concerns over conditions.

Some accounts highlight reported sanctions running to weeks without pay for declining additional shifts.

Unions also accuse Azul Handling of failing to honor existing labor agreements and of obstructing efforts to reconcile work schedules with family responsibilities.

The strike calendar, heavily concentrated on high-traffic days, is intended to underscore the workforce’s leverage at a time when Spain’s aviation sector is enjoying robust recovery and strong demand on leisure routes.

Ryanair, for its part, has consistently downplayed the impact of the stoppages on its flight program. The airline argues that Spain’s minimum service rules ensure sufficient staffing to maintain operations and notes that the unions leading the action represent only a segment of the Azul workforce.

Public comments from the company emphasize that the vast majority of flights are expected to run as scheduled, although Ryanair acknowledges there may be localized delays, particularly around baggage delivery.

Negotiations have run intermittently since the summer, including mediation efforts through official conciliation bodies, but no breakthrough has been announced.

With the end-of-year deadline for the current strike call approaching on 31 December, both sides appear entrenched, and unions have not ruled out further action in 2026 if their demands remain unmet.

How today’s strike windows could affect travelers

With rolling stoppages in effect on Friday 19 December, travelers passing through affected Spanish airports should pay close attention to the local time of their flights.

Services scheduled to depart or arrive during the 5:00 to 9:00, 12:00 to 15:00 or 21:00 to 23:59 windows are most at risk of disruption, particularly when it comes to check-in and baggage handling.

For morning departures, passengers may face slower bag drop queues and longer waits at security if crowded check-in areas spill over into other parts of the terminal. Afternoon operations could be hit as the midday walkout overlaps with a second wave of leisure and domestic departures.

Late evening flights risk delays if earlier disruption cascades through the day and ground crews are again reduced during the final strike period.

Travel experts advise allowing extra time at the airport, arriving at least two and a half to three hours before short-haul Ryanair departures during affected windows.

Where possible, passengers may wish to travel with cabin baggage only to reduce reliance on checked-luggage services. Online check-in and mobile boarding passes can also help limit time spent in queues at staffed desks.

Even if a particular flight is scheduled outside the official strike windows, travelers should be prepared for residual delays if their aircraft arrives late from an earlier rotation or if baggage systems are still catching up from a previous wave of disruption.

Families, passengers requiring special assistance and those with tight onward connections should be especially cautious about planning buffers into their itineraries.

Passenger rights and what airlines are obliged to provide

The rolling strikes raise important questions about what support passengers can expect when travel plans go awry. Under European Union rules on air passenger rights, often referred to as EC 261, airlines have a duty of care to customers when flights are significantly delayed or canceled, even when the underlying cause is industrial action beyond their direct control.

In practical terms, duty of care typically means that travelers whose flights are delayed beyond certain thresholds are entitled to meals, refreshments and, where necessary, hotel accommodation and transfers while they wait for a rescheduled service.

Ryanair and other carriers must also offer rebooking at the earliest opportunity or at a later convenient date, subject to availability, and in some cases may offer refunds for unused tickets if passengers choose not to travel.

However, cash compensation for delays and cancellations is more complex. Strikes by airport or ground-handling staff are often classified as extraordinary circumstances that the airline cannot reasonably prevent, which can exempt carriers from paying fixed compensation amounts under EC 261, provided they have taken all reasonable steps to mitigate the disruption.

Passengers encountering problems during the Azul Handling strike should therefore expect assistance and rerouting, but not necessarily compensation payments.

Travelers are encouraged to retain receipts for any out-of-pocket costs incurred while stranded, such as meals or overnight stays, and to contact their airline promptly to confirm what will be reimbursed.

Comprehensive travel insurance that includes disruption cover may offer an additional safety net, particularly for those with nonrefundable accommodation or tour bookings at their destination.

Wider European holiday travel turbulence

The Spanish ground-handling dispute unfolds against a broader backdrop of labor unrest across European aviation as the year-end peak approaches. Airports and airlines in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Portugal and Germany have all faced or are facing industrial action affecting ground staff, cabin crew, air traffic controllers or public transport links to key hubs.

In the UK, ground-handling staff at London Luton Airport working for an outsourced provider are staging their own walkouts this month, affecting easyJet operations over two separate four-day phases. Elsewhere, Scandinavian Airlines cabin crew are poised to strike on select dates over Christmas at London Heathrow, with knock-on effects for flights to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo.

Italy and Portugal have also seen strike calls involving airline and airport workers in December, while travelers in France are accustomed to periodic industrial action that can impact air traffic control and rail services, often with little notice.

The cumulative effect is a winter travel season that requires extra vigilance and flexibility from passengers heading to or transiting through Europe’s main hubs.

For travelers originating in North America or other long-haul markets, the combination of multiple national disputes increases the risk that a smooth transatlantic flight could be followed by a fraught short-haul connection within Europe.

Monitoring not just departure airports but also intermediate hubs is therefore essential, especially when itineraries rely on tight layovers.

Practical planning tips for travelers heading to Spain

Against this unsettled backdrop, careful planning can help limit the stress of traveling through Spain while the Azul Handling strike continues. Passengers are advised to monitor their flight status closely in the 24 hours before departure, using official airline apps or direct email and SMS updates.

Where airlines offer voluntary rebooking or flexible change policies, shifting to flights outside peak strike windows may reduce the risk of serious disruption.

Choosing earlier flights in the day that operate before the first strike window, or mid-morning services that avoid the 5:00 to 9:00 period, may help. Similarly, late-morning or early-evening departures that steer clear of the 12:00 to 15:00 and 21:00 to 23:59 slots could be less exposed, although some risk always remains while the dispute is ongoing.

Travelers with fixed commitments, such as cruise departures or weddings, should consider building an extra day into their itinerary if possible.

At the airport, having essential items in cabin baggage is crucial. Medication, a change of clothes, basic toiletries and chargers should be kept in hand luggage in case checked bags are delayed.

Those traveling with young children may wish to carry extra snacks, entertainment and baby supplies, anticipating longer waits at carousels or boarding gates.

Finally, maintaining realistic expectations can make a significant difference. With strike calendars published through the end of December, Spain’s aviation ecosystem is operating under known constraints.

While many journeys will still run relatively smoothly, accepting that queues may be longer and plans may need to adapt can reduce frustration during what is already a busy and sometimes stressful time of year.

FAQ

Q1. Which days are Ryanair’s Spanish ground-handling staff on strike?
The current strike schedule covers every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 15 August through 31 December 2025, including today, Friday 19 December.

Q2. What are the daily strike time windows?
Walkouts are planned in three daily blocks: from 5:00 to 9:00 in the morning, from 12:00 to 15:00 at midday, and from 21:00 to 23:59 at night, local time at the affected Spanish airports.

Q3. Which Spanish airports are affected by the Azul Handling strike?
The action impacts all Ryanair bases handled by Azul, including Madrid Barajas, Barcelona El Prat, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago de Compostela, among others.

Q4. Will my Ryanair flight be canceled because of the strike?
Ryanair says it expects to operate its schedule largely as planned thanks to Spain’s minimum service rules, but some flights may still face delays and a smaller number could be canceled if disruption is severe at certain times.

Q5. What kind of delays should I expect at the airport?
Most disruption is likely to involve slower check-in and bag drop, longer waits for luggage on arrival, and potential knock-on delays to departures, especially during the official strike windows and on busy weekends.

Q6. What are my passenger rights if my flight is delayed or canceled?
Under EU rules, airlines must provide care such as meals, refreshments and accommodation when necessary, and offer rebooking or refunds, but cash compensation may not apply if the disruption is deemed to result from extraordinary circumstances like third-party strikes.

Q7. How can I reduce the risk of problems on my trip?
Arrive early at the airport, consider traveling with carry-on luggage only, avoid flights scheduled squarely inside the strike windows where possible, and keep a close eye on airline notifications in the days and hours before departure.

Q8. Are other airlines in Spain affected by this strike?
The strike specifically targets Azul Handling staff who work for Ryanair group airlines, so most other carriers use different ground handlers, although they may occasionally feel indirect effects from congestion in shared terminal areas.

Q9. Does travel insurance help in this situation?
A comprehensive policy that includes coverage for delays and missed connections can help recoup some additional costs, especially for nonrefundable hotels or tours, but travelers should check the small print to confirm how strike-related disruption is treated.

Q10. Could the strikes continue into 2026?
The current call runs until 31 December 2025; while unions have not yet announced plans beyond that date, they have indicated that further action remains possible if no agreement is reached with Azul Handling and Ryanair.