British holidaymakers heading to Majorca are being warned of potential travel chaos due to two planned strikes at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) starting this week.
Swissport workers to strike
Swissport ground handling staff are set to walk out on Tuesday, 28 July, affecting airlines including TUI. Further strikes are planned on 1, 4 and 8 August from 7am to 12pm and 7pm to 10pm.
Metal sector strike adds to disruption
A separate 24-hour daily strike by 39,000 workers in the metal sector, called by three unions, is taking place from Monday, 27 July to Thursday, 30 July. The unions are demanding "fair wage increases and protection against inflation", according to Palma Airport.
The airport warned of a "crucial overlap date" on 28 July when both strikes coincide, likely causing the worst delays for passengers.
Airlines affected
Swissport handles passenger, baggage and ramp services for TUI, Condor, TAP Air Portugal, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, Albastar and DAT. Other airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, and Jet2 use different ground handlers, but the airport said "large-scale airport strikes can occasionally create a minor knock-on effect". However, Swissport passengers are expected to be worst affected.
The metal sector strike covers technical personnel across the entire airport, affecting "all carriers operating at Palma, Ibiza, and Menorca". Passengers on any airline could face localised delays on 27-30 July.
Potential disruptions and advice
During the strikes, passengers may face longer waiting times, operational bottlenecks, delays at check-in, baggage drop, boarding gates, and baggage carousels. Palma Airport advises travellers to check in online, travel light with hand luggage, monitor their airline's app, and arrive on time (two to three hours before departure) but not too early.
Background
Last July, 1.8 million tourists passed through Palma Airport. The strikes follow a protest against overtourism in Palma on 26 July, with police estimating 25,000 attendees and organisers claiming 70,000.
