Weekend of airport strikes in Spain suggest minimal disruptions ahead

The second and third days of strike action by Spanish airport staff caused minor delays and cancellations but no major disruptions over one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

Spanish airports this weekend saw two separate walkouts by workers in different disputes.

Spanish trade union UGT called strike action for staff at Azul Handling, Ryanair's ground operations subsidiary in Spain, while airport ground staff employed by the Menzies group also walked out at airports across the country.

READ ALSO: Seven more airlines to be hit by strikes in Spain this August

Despite the industrial action Spanish air traffic was largely unaffected, Spanish media reports suggest, with delays of up to three hours at some airports and a handful of cancellations at others.

Barcelona airport recorded its first cancellations and delays on Saturday morning, with delays also reported at Girona and Reus (Tarragona) airports, according to flight data collected by Europa Press.

El Prat saw two British Airways flights to London cancelled, a company covered by Menzies, in addition to another flight covering the reverse route from London to Barcelona.

Two other flights scheduled to depart from Barcelona were cancelled, though reports suggest that they were Air Canada flights and are not related to the strike action in Spain, but rather a walkout by Canadian flight attendants.

Palma airport also saw some delays and five cancellations on Saturday due to the Menzies strike.

READ MORE: Ryanair's exit leaves two Spanish airports in the doldrums

If unresolved, the Ryanair strikes are scheduled to continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of this year, which adds up to a total of 76 strike days.

They will affect all Ryanair bases in Spain, which include Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote, and Santiago de Compostela.

The strike action will be staggered in time slots, taking place between 5 am and 9 am; midday and 3 pm; and 9 pm and midnight on the scheduled strike days.

Despite the action potentially lasting for the rest of the year, Ryanair has claimed the walkouts will have no impact on flights, something that, judging by the first weekend of strikes, seems to be largely true.

Staff employed by the Menzies group will walk out at airports including Barcelona-El Prat, Alicante, Palma, Málaga and Tenerife South, on the 23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st of August.

Not only does the group cover major Spanish airports, providing essential ground services such as boarding, disembarking, baggage handling, and runway assistance, but it also provides services to key airlines operating in Spain such as Emirates, British Airways, American Airlines, EasyJet, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian and Wizz Air.

READ ALSO: Ryanair claims strike in Spain will have no impact on flights