This ninth day of strikes by Ryanair cabin crew, organized by USO and SITCPLA, led to seven flight cancellations and twenty-one further delays on Thursday, with the highest impact at Barcelona El Prat and Palma de Mallorca airports.
According to USO, by 13:00 four flights were canceled in Barcelona, including two arrivals and two departures, with additional disruptions in Palma de Mallorca. Other suspended services included a Rabat-bound flight via Malaga, two Madrid-bound services (one arrival and one departure), and two flights to Rome Fiumicino that involved Barcelona as either the origin or destination.
In total, another seventy-two flights were delayed, with the busiest hubs being Barcelona El Prat (nineteen delayed departures or arrivals), Palma de Mallorca (sixteen), followed by Alicante and Malaga (eight each), Seville and Ibiza (six each), Valencia (four), Madrid (three), and Girona (two).
The carrier did not disclose tracking data for the disruptions.
This event follows the second wave of industrial action launched last Tuesday by the airline’s unions, a continuation of a dispute that began with a six-day round of strikes spanning late June into early July. Union sources indicate that the initial wave caused the cancellation of up to two hundred fifteen flights across Spain and resulted in delays to another one thousand two hundred fifty-five flights.
USO and SITCPLA have operations at ten Spanish airports where Ryanair maintains services: Madrid, Malaga, Seville, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Girona, Santiago de Compostela, Ibiza, and Palma de Mallorca.
Union statements note that the labor conflict has led to more than seventy workers being dismissed on file, with unions appealing to the government on three separate occasions for intervention, without a response to date.
USO condemns the “illegal” dismissal of seven crew members
The USO union condemned the dismissal of seven Ryanair cabin crew members, carried out since the strike began. The union marked the developments as the action entered its third day on Thursday, arguing that the dismissals contravene labor protections and were not justified by the airline’s operational needs.
Locally affected bases included Malaga (three crew members), Barcelona (two), Girona (one), and Santiago de Compostela (one). The union argued these actions were a punitive response to workers who refused to comply with what they described as illegal orders issued by the Irish carrier during the strike period.
During meetings convened by the Labor Inspectorate with legal representatives of workers and Ryanair, officials warned the airline to adhere to Spanish law regarding the right to strike. The union underscored that those assigned to minimum service duties cannot have their schedules altered without proper authorization, and that employees should not be forced to work or to receive notices during rest breaks. The right to digital disconnect was highlighted as a protected entitlement during such labor actions, as explained by Ernesto Iglesias, a representative from USO in the Air Sector Flight division.