Barcelona Airport Ground Staff Strike Threatens 2 Million Passengers

Groundforce, the company that provides ground handling services at Barcelona‑El Prat Airport, began an open‑ended strike on 4 August after its 1,179 employees voted to walk out. The strike, organised by the CGT union, cites deteriorating working conditions and safety concerns. By the second day, 18 flights had been cancelled and many more were delayed, with airlines such as Air Europa, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, ITA Airways, United and Finnair affected.

Spanish transport authorities estimate that up to 2 million passengers could be impacted through September, representing roughly 11.6 thousand aircraft movements and 2.4 million seats. The ministry has imposed minimum service levels for domestic and international flights, but the disruption continues to affect routes to Germany, Italy, Austria and other destinations.