Holidaymakers heading to or from Majorca are facing severe disruption at Palma de Mallorca Airport as two overlapping strikes create widespread delays. Travel experts are urging passengers to travel with hand luggage only and to download digital boarding passes to avoid check-in and baggage queues.
Technical Staff Walkout
A 24-hour strike by technical staff, responsible for baggage belts, sorting systems, and boarding bridges, is causing immediate bottlenecks across the terminal. This action affects passengers flying with major carriers including Ryanair, easyJet, and Jet2.
Swissport Ground Staff Strikes
Swissport ground staff and baggage handlers are staging targeted partial walkouts during peak travel windows: from 7am to 12pm and from 7pm to 10pm. The industrial action is scheduled for four key summer dates: July 28, August 1, August 4, and August 8.
The CCOO union stated that the action follows Swissport's "failed to address the main demands raised by workers' representatives" regarding salary scales and working conditions, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Advice for Passengers
Passengers should arrive at the airport strictly two to three hours before departure. Airport bosses warn that arriving earlier will worsen terminal overcrowding. Standard 100ml liquid restrictions remain in place at security.
Widespread cancellations are unlikely, but significant gate and tarmac delays are expected.
Minimum Service Levels
Under Spanish law, air transport is an essential public service, so strikes cannot fully halt operations. The Spanish Ministry of Transport mandates minimum service levels: emergency, medical, and inter-island flights (between Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza) operate at 100% capacity; domestic routes to mainland Spain retain 70% to 80% of normal schedule; and high-demand international flights are protected at 50% to 60%.
