The airline Ryanair has announced that it does not anticipate any disruption to its operations this summer despite a strike at its ground handling subsidiary, Azul Handling, thanks to Spain’s minimum service requirements.
In a statement sent to EFE News Agency, the airline said:
“Due to Spanish legislation on minimum services during the summer months, we do not anticipate any disruption to our operations as a result of these strikes.”
The industrial action has been called by UGT, Azul’s second-largest union, which represents around 20% of the workforce. The strikes affect handling services at more than 20 airports across Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Seville, Tenerife North and South, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, among others.
In contrast to Ryanair’s reassurances, UGT has accused the company of boycotting employees’ right to strike. In a press release, the union criticised the airline for:
- Classifying all Ryanair flights as “protected”, obliging minimum service staff to cover every flight during strike hours, rather than only those flights explicitly designated as essential.
- Delivering the minimum service letters late and poorly organised, in some cases giving workers only two or three hours’ notice before their shifts.
- Making last-minute schedule changes to strengthen operations during the strike.
- Failing to provide the strike committee with a list of personnel assigned to minimum services.
- Preventing strike committee members from accessing company facilities.
According to the union, these practices amount to a deliberate attempt to undermine the effectiveness of the strike.
The strike began on Friday, coinciding with the August bank holiday weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year. So far, it has unfolded “without major incidents”, although some delays have been reported. At Barcelona Airport, delays have averaged around 20 minutes, according to Chema Pérez, secretary of UGT’s aviation sector.
While Ryanair continues to stress that passengers will not face cancellations or major disruption, union leaders insist the dispute highlights ongoing tensions over labour rights, scheduling, and working conditions at Azul Handling. With strikes scheduled to continue, both sides remain at odds over how minimum services are being implemented.
