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Update: what's the latest on Ryanair strikes in Spain?

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Update: what's the latest on Ryanair strikes in Spain?
A Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS aircraft lands at El Prat airport in Barcelona earlier in July. Photo: Pau BARRENA/AFP

As Spanish Ryanair staff held more strike action today, there were delays and cancellations at airports across Spain. The Local looks into the latest developments.

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Many travellers planning on visiting Spain in the next couple of weeks are likely to face disruptions as unions have called upon staff at budget airline Ryanair to strike, and EasyJet employees also have walk-outs planned.

July 13th was just one day out of a total of 12 in July called by unions USO and Sitcpla to force the budget Irish airline to renegotiate a new collective agreement with its workers. Union bosses say Ryanair refuses to adapt the contracts to Spanish legislation.

The first wave of strike action, held at the beginning of July, caused 215 flights to be cancelled and 1,225 delayed. This latest round of strike action is set to last for four days, from Tuesday 12th to Friday 15th July.

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Overall, unions have announced 12 days of strike action against Ryanair throughout July. When the latest round ends on Friday 15th July,  they are due to start again from July 18th to 21st and then again from July 25th to 28th.

Dates and airports affected

Ryanair flights to and from Spain could be affected on July 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th at all Spanish airports where Ryanair operate: Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Seville, Valencia, Girona, Alicante, Santiago de Compostela, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.

Today's strikes

Spanish media have reported that today's (July 13th) strike action - the second day of the second round - has caused ten cancellations and 121 delays, with Barcelona-El Prat airport having the most cancellations, with six, and Madrid airport four cancellations.

El Prat airport also faced the brunt of delays, too, with 29, 14 in departures and 15 in arrivals, and Palma had 28 delays, Málaga airport 20 delays.

With further strike action scheduled, and Easyjet staff also walking out, it seems it could be a summer of interruptions for thousands of people wanting to take their first foreign holiday since the COVID-19 pandemic, and an agreement between unions and employers does not yet seem any closer.

READ MORE: Ryanair and EasyJet staff to extend Spain strike into July

Unions have criticised Ryanair for bringing in replacement cabin crew staff, and has pushed Spain's Labour Minister, Yolanda Díaz, to intervene in the dispute “not to allow Ryanair to violate labour legislation and constitutional rights such as the right to strike."

“The unions and crew of Ryanair demand a change of attitude from the airline,” USO and Sitcpla said in a joint statement.

In a statement, Ryanair said: "The vast majority of Ryanair crews are working normally," and that it expects "a minimal alteration of its flights."

EasyJet employees are also scheduled to walk-out in July, further compounding travel plan problems for thousands of holidaymakers. EasyJet staff are taking strike action on July 15th, 16th, 17th, 29th, 30th and 31st at its three operative airports: Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Málaga.

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