A cloak of uncertainty hangs over the travel plans of thousands of people who had planned to fly with Iberia during the upcoming Christmas holidays. Workers have announced an eight-day strike at Iberia from December 29 to January 7 in response to the company’s refusal to carry out ‘autohandling’ at eight key airports.
What triggered the Iberia strike?
The strike call is in response to Iberia’s resistance to perform ‘autohandling’ at airports where it has lost the license to provide this service.
The controversy arose after Aena’s decision to put aircraft ground handling out to tender, in which Iberia failed to win its bid at eight airports.
In view of this situation, Iberia’s handling company, in charge of ground services such as passenger transfers, baggage loading and collection and ramp provisioning on aircraft, will be subrogated to the new company awarded the tender by Aena.
Impact on airports and flights
The strike affects a total of 29 Spanish airports where Iberia Airport Services operates to date. Among those affected are key airports such as Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife North, Tenerife South, Ibiza, Seville, Valencia and Bilbao.
These stoppages will not only have an impact on Iberia’s own flights, but could also affect other airlines that provide services to third parties at the aforementioned airports.
Airlines offering their own ‘autohandling’ service, such as Ryanair, EasyJet and Air Europa, will not be changed, but the flights affected are not yet known with certainty.
Challenges for travelers
The strike, which coincides with one of the busiest air traffic times of the year, poses significant challenges for travelers.
The UGT and CCOO unions, responsible for the call, highlight that approximately 8,000 Iberia Airport Services workers will join the strike, affecting crucial services at the airports and generating consequences for travelers seeking to reunite with their loved ones during the New Year’s Eve and Epiphany celebrations.
Iberia, for its part, considers the strike call as “irresponsible” in the midst of negotiations to find a “solution”.
The company maintains that the option of ‘autohandling’ is “unfeasible” and argues that this would be “seriously detrimental” to its competitiveness and that of all IAG Group airlines.
Advice for affected travelers
In view of the uncertainty generated by the strike, affected travelers are faced with the difficult task of reorganizing their plans just in time for the end-of-year holidays. It is recommended to be attentive to updates on the situation and, if possible, to look for alternatives to minimize inconveniences during these special dates.
