Travelers flying to or within Portugal face five strike-hit weekends from late July through Labor Day, as ground-handling crews at SPdH/Menzies walk out over pay and conditions. Cabin-crew action at SATA Air Açores adds pressure on inter-island flights in the Azores. Expect longer lines, baggage delays, and possible cancellations at Lisbon (Humberto Delgado Airport [LIS]), Porto (OPO), Faro (FAO), Funchal (FNC), and other gateways. Officials have imposed minimum service levels, but peak-season schedules will still feel the pinch.
Key Points
- Why it matters: strikes span Portugal's busiest weekends, jeopardizing holiday plans.
- First walkout: July 25 (0000) - July 28 (2359).
- Four more rounds: Aug 8-11, 15-18, 22-25, Aug 29 - Sept 1.
- All Portuguese airports plus Azores and Madeira affected.
- SATA cabin crew Strike July 18-24 compounds Azores impact.
- EU 261/2004 compensation may apply for delays > 3 hours or cancellations.
Snapshot
Portugal's aviation system enters its heaviest industrial-action spell in years. Ground staff represented by SIMA and ST accuse SPdH/Menzies of sub-minimum wages, unpaid night-shift premiums, and failure to honor a Memorandum of Understanding promising pay rises through 2026 and €2.5 million in arrears. Lusa's arbitration court ruling mandates skeleton operations for medical, military, and select mainland-island links, but regular commercial schedules will thin out. With passenger volumes already above 2024 records, even modest staffing gaps can ripple across Europe's crowded air-traffic network, triggering missed connections beyond Portugal's borders.
Background
SPdH, rebranded from Groundforce after a 2024 bankruptcy rescue, handles check-in, baggage, and ramp work for dozens of carriers. Unions say starting wages trail the national minimum (€866 monthly) and accuse management of reneging on parking and shift-differential commitments. Talks collapsed on July 12, prompting a five-weekend Strike notice. Separately, SATA Air Açores cabin crew-negotiating a new deal since 2023-began a week-long stoppage on July 18. Although SATA chiefly serves island hops, its feeder role into Lisbon heightens pressure on the mainland network. Government mediators have urged compromise, warning that protracted unrest could dent Portugal's €22 billion tourism engine.
Latest Developments
Minimum-service order narrows relief
On July 24, Portugal's Economic & Social Council decreed minimum services covering all state, medevac, and ongoing flights, plus specific Lisbon-Azores and Porto-Madeira routes. Yet the carve-outs exclude most leisure departures, so airlines are thinning schedules. TAP Air Portugal pre-emptively scrubbed 60 flights for the first weekend, while Ryanair and EasyJet warned of "rolling delay chains" at Lisbon and Faro. Airport operator ANA says contingency teams will focus on security screening to prevent terminal overcrowding.
Airlines adjust baggage rules
Ryanair, EasyJet, and Iberia urge passengers to travel carry-on-only; TAP offers free rebooking within 14 days. Checked-bag volumes are expected to overwhelm reduced ramp staff, risking hour-long waits at reclaim belts. Travel insurers confirm that strike-related delays remain covered events, but travelers must obtain written proof from their carrier.
Analysis
Portugal's Strike calendar illustrates a broader European pattern: fragmented labor groups targeting high-season weekends to maximize leverage while minimizing lost wages. Unlike air-traffic-control stoppages, ground-handling strikes rarely shutter airspace entirely, but they choke key bottlenecks-check-in, ramp, baggage-where airlines cannot easily redeploy staff. SPdH/Menzies' island-wide reach magnifies the pain: a single handler touches roughly 65 percent of seats at LIS and 80 percent at FAO. The SATA overlap compounds Azores disruption, where alternate ferry timetables already run near capacity. For U.S. travelers, missed European connections could trigger domino effects across Atlantic schedules. Carriers may invoke "extraordinary circumstances" to dodge EU 261 payouts, yet court precedent often favors passengers when the strike stems from a third-party employer. Expect legal wrangling-and higher operating costs-as airlines hedge with spare crews and wet-lease cover. Longer term, Portugal's ground-handling tender process, due 2026, could intensify as rivals pitch bid terms that promise industrial peace.
Final Thoughts
With five consecutive Strike weekends, patience and preparation are vital. Monitor flight apps, arrive early, carry essentials in hand luggage, and keep receipts if delays mount. Portugal's beaches and festivals remain open, but navigating the journey will demand extra resilience-and a close eye on Portugal airport strike advisories.