Ryanair Faces Unions and Limited Services Across Spain as Strike Actions Loom
On an unprecedented Friday, Ryanair operated a total of 438 flights. The schedule was managed by a Spanish crew and, according to union sources, represented the minimum level of service that was communicated to workers. The operation levels were framed as a response to labor actions and a deliberate adjustment to flight plans amid ongoing disputes within the airline’s Spanish bases.
Reports indicate that the company called in 80 percent more staff than on a typical day to fulfill what were described as “imaginary” shifts inside the airport. This unusual staffing approach suggests the airline sought to maintain observed runway activity while signaling capacity constraints to both workers and passengers.
In parallel, unions USO and Sitcpla active in the aviation sector prepared for a cabin crew strike (TCP) across several June dates, extending into early July. The planned stoppages were set to impact Ryanair’s ten bases in Spain, including Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Girona, Santiago de Compostela, Ibiza, and Palma de Mallorca, with notifications aimed at coordinating actions across the network.
Official data from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda indicated that the strike would affect around 2,649 operations and approximately 440,000 passengers across ten Spanish airports. In response, authorities established minimum service requirements that could allow up to 82 percent of scheduled flights to proceed in certain circumstances, underscoring the government’s attempt to balance labor rights with public travel needs.
Unions reiterated concerns that Ryanair was not fully complying with the minimum service ordinance issued by the Ministry. The three-day strike began at midnight, and there was contention over the airline’s plan to operate what it characterized as the full slate of scheduled flights, potentially at odds with the minimum service obligations that were supposed to guide operations during industrial action.
As the strike progressed, a flight list circulating Thursday purportedly identified flights that Ryanair claimed were protected by the decree. The unions countered that, following consultations with their legal teams, the airline was moving to run 100 percent of its flights, which would conflict with the intent of the minimum service framework and the broader labor dispute.