Travelers in Spain face flight cancellations and delays throughout the country just before Easter and on public holidays. After the security staff of Madrid Airport had already entered into an indefinite strike on Friday, today also the pilots of the regional airline Air Nostrum laid down work for three days nationwide.
Outage could hit up to five million vacationers
However, the biggest concern in Spain was the USO and UGT unions calling on some 60,000 ground staff to resign from work on Easter Sunday (21 April) and 24 April at all airports in the country. According to estimates, up to five million holidaymakers from across Europe would face flight chaos at Easter. As the summer season begins at Easter and German travelers especially the sunny destinations around the Mediterranean (including mainly Mallorca) and city trips to Madrid and Barcelona are particularly popular, probably tens of thousands of Germans on their Easter holiday with some significant problems.
Due to the pilot’s absence Air Nostrum had to cancel by Wednesday, Wednesday 148 out of 627 flights, including six connections between Madrid and Frankfurt. Altogether 10,000 passengers are affected, it was said. Meanwhile, flights to Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands, as well as the Canary Islands and Melilla, are to take place within the minimum services required by Spanish law.
Madrid’s government wants to mediate
Due to the strike of the security staff in Madrid, it had come at the weekend partly to long waiting times at the baggage checks. At the moment, the situation is a bit calmer at first. Previously, negotiations with the airport operator Aena had failed. Among other things, the staff wants to achieve better working and contract conditions with the strike.
The feared Easter chaos wants to avert the government in Madrid but still. Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos said that they wanted to mediate in all industrial disputes.
