Portugal Strike Hits Lisbon Flights December 11

Portugal strike hits Lisbon flights on December 11, 2025, as Emirates and Etihad cancel their Lisbon services and Portugal prepares for a nationwide general strike that will sharply reduce flights, rail, and urban transport. The walkout is expected to paralyse much of the country's transport network and ground most flights, turning Lisbon into one of the weakest links in European connections for travelers starting in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and beyond. For Gulf based passengers, the practical question is now less whether the strike will bite, and more how quickly to reroute away from Lisbon or move travel to safer dates.

In plain terms, the Portugal general strike on December 11 will see Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) operate at minimum levels while large parts of the workforce walk off the job in protest at proposed labor law reforms. Unions and airline cabin crew groups have been clear that it will be "very difficult" to run normal operations and that most flights at Portuguese airports are likely to be grounded, with only legally mandated minimum services running. That context makes the advance cancellations by Emirates and Etihad a logical move, rather than a surprise.

What Emirates And Etihad Have Cancelled

Emirates has now confirmed that it will cancel all scheduled Dubai Lisbon services on Thursday, December 11. Specifically, Gulf based coverage and airline facing reports list EK191 and EK193 from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Lisbon as cancelled, along with the return legs EK192 and EK194 back to Dubai. Combined, that effectively removes Emirates as a same day option between Dubai and Lisbon for the strike date.

Etihad Airways has made a similar call from Abu Dhabi. Industry roundups indicate that Etihad will cancel EY099 from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) to Lisbon on December 11, together with the return sector EY100 from Lisbon back to Abu Dhabi. That aligns with local coverage stating that "UAE airlines" have cancelled Lisbon flights on the strike day and, in some cases, on adjacent days as well, as they reposition aircraft and crews around the disruption.

For affected passengers, both carriers are directing customers to contact them or their travel advisors for rebooking or refunds, although the exact waiver rules vary by fare class and ticket origin. With more than 10 million travelers expected to move through Dubai International during December, alternative long haul and European connections are likely to tighten quickly as people switch out of the strike window.

How The Strike Will Hit Lisbon As A Hub

The Emirates and Etihad cancellations sit on top of much broader constraints inside Portugal. TAP Air Portugal has already announced that it will run only a limited set of minimum service flights on December 11, including a handful of routes to islands and key intercontinental destinations, while cancelling dozens of other services. Rail operator CP has warned of "significant disruptions" on Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, InterRegional, and Regional trains, and urban metros and buses are preparing for skeleton schedules at best.

For Lisbon, that combination means three overlapping problems on December 11. Flight operations will be cut back sharply at Humberto Delgado, public transport links between the city and the airport will be patchy, and staff shortages in ground handling and security will slow the passengers who do travel. In practice, even flights that operate may face longer turnarounds, late inbound crews, and ground handling gaps, which can cascade into missed curfews or crew duty limits.

This new article builds directly on Adept Traveler's earlier strike coverage for Portugal, including the broader Portugal General Strike To Ground Most Flights December 11 alert and the Portugal December 11 Strike To Disrupt Flights, Transit overview of non aviation impacts. For structure and rights guidance, travelers can also refer to the evergreen Strikes in Europe explainer, which outlines how strike laws and minimum service rules work across the region.

Why This Matters Especially For Gulf Based Travelers

Lisbon functions as a key hinge for Gulf based travelers into both Iberia and South America. Many Emirates and Etihad passengers route via Lisbon onto TAP and other carriers for onward flights to Porto, the Algarve, Spanish cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, and long haul routes to Brazil and other South American markets. When the hub itself is on minimum operations, that chaining strategy becomes fragile.

On December 11, connections that look tight but workable on paper, for example a morning arrival from Dubai into Lisbon followed by a mid day connection to Porto or São Paulo, are at high risk of breaking down. Even if one or both segments still operate, the strike makes it much more likely that a delayed long haul arrival will miss a narrow onward window, and that there will be few spare seats on later departures. Separate tickets, where the second leg is not protected by the first carrier, are especially vulnerable.

Rerouting Options From Dubai And Abu Dhabi

For travelers who have not yet rebooked, the cleanest strategy is to remove Lisbon from December 11 entirely. That usually means one of three moves. First, if Emirates or Etihad offers a free date change, shift your Lisbon segment to December 10 or December 12 and keep the route structure you already know. Second, reroute through another European hub that is not directly hit by the Portugal strike, such as Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD), Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN), Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), or Frankfurt Airport (FRA), then add a separate Lisbon segment on a non strike day. Third, for itineraries focused on Spain or the wider Schengen zone, drop Lisbon as the entry point altogether and route via Madrid or Barcelona, adding a side trip to Portugal only after the strike has passed.

From Dubai International and Abu Dhabi Zayed International, both Emirates and Etihad have dense networks into mainland Europe. That makes Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Frankfurt, and other hubs realistic alternates for most origin markets in the Gulf, India, and wider Asia, even if travel times are slightly longer. Using those hubs on December 11, then moving any Lisbon segments to December 10 or 12, will usually provide more resilience than trying to hold on to a strike day Lisbon landing.

What To Do If You Must Travel Via Lisbon On December 11

Some travelers will not be able to move their dates, either because meetings and events are locked in or because rebooking windows have closed. If you must pass through Lisbon on December 11, there are still ways to reduce risk.

Start by treating any connection of less than three hours as dangerous, and any separate ticket on the same day as a gamble. Protected connections booked on a single ticket have better rebooking support, but even these should ideally be stretched to three or four hours to absorb inbound delays and longer queues. Build in the assumption that airport trains and metros may run less frequently, so you need more time to reach Humberto Delgado from hotels or offices in the city.

If you hold an affected Emirates or Etihad ticket and cannot move dates, talk to the airline or your advisor about rerouting Lisbon segments onto partner carriers via another hub, or about refund options so that you can rebuild the trip on different airlines. In parallel, check your hotel and ground transport bookings for flexible change options, since a forced overnight in Madrid or Barcelona may be more practical than trying to reach Portugal at any cost on the 11th.

Background, Why Portugal Is Striking On December 11

Portugal's general strike has been called by the country's two largest union confederations, CGTP IN and UGT, in protest at the government's "Trabalho XXI" labor law reform package. This is the first time both confederations have backed a general strike since 2013, which gives a sense of its scale. Union leaders and airline cabin crew representatives have repeatedly warned that the action will make it very difficult to operate flights on December 11 and that only minimum legal services will run.

Roughly half of Portugal's workforce is expected to join the walkout, with the most pronounced effects in health care, education, public administration, and transport. For travelers, the key point is that the strike is not an isolated airport issue but a cross sector action that will ripple through everything from baggage handling and security to buses, metros, and even fuel logistics for airports. That makes it far more disruptive than a single airline or ground handling dispute.

How EU261 And Airline Waivers Fit Together

Because the strike is a national labor action that affects airport and air traffic operations, most cancellations driven directly by the strike will fall under the "extraordinary circumstances" category in EU261. That means passengers are generally not entitled to cash compensation when airlines cancel due to the strike itself. However, EU261 still obliges airlines to provide duty of care, including meals, communications, and accommodation when travelers are stranded, and to offer rerouting or refunds on cancelled legs, subject to availability.

In practice, Gulf based travelers will rely heavily on Emirates and Etihad strike specific waivers, which often allow one or more date changes, rerouting via alternative gateways, or full refunds for unused segments when a flight is cancelled. Those policies can change as load forecasts and strike participation estimates evolve, so the most reliable source remains the airline's own advisory pages and app notifications on the days leading up to December 11.

Passengers connecting onward from Lisbon on TAP or other European carriers should also check those airlines' rules, especially if the second leg is on a separate ticket. Some carriers may relax change fees around the strike date, but they are not obliged to cover costs created by disruptions on another airline's ticket. This is why Adept Traveler's strike guidance emphasizes booking through tickets where possible and avoiding separate same day legs through at risk hubs.

Planning Ahead For The Rest Of December

Finally, travelers should treat the December 11 Portugal strike as one part of a wider European disruption pattern. Other strikes in Italy and the United Kingdom are hitting rail and airport operations on adjacent days, and TAP's skeleton schedule on the 11th means knock on delays and crew positioning issues may spill into December 10 and 12. For Gulf based itineraries that span multiple countries, it is worth mapping the full strike calendar and spacing out legs wherever possible.

Looking ahead, Lisbon will remain a valuable hub for Iberia and South America, but December 11, 2025, is shaping up as a poor choice for tight connections or first time visits. Travelers who can push their Lisbon arrivals a day earlier or later, or who can enter Europe through alternative hubs and visit Portugal after the strike, will almost always have a smoother trip than those who try to thread the needle on the day of action.

Sources

• Portugal General Strike To Ground Most Flights December 11
• Portugal December 11 Strike To Disrupt Flights, Transit
• Strikes threaten to paralyse travel across Portugal, here is what to expect
• Portugal expected to see flight cancellations on December 11
• Portugal General Strike 11 Dec 2025, disruption guide
• TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
• UAE airlines cancel flights to Lisbon amid Portugal's nationwide strike
• Lisbon flight chaos as Portugal's nationwide strike grounds Emirates and Etihad Airways
• Emirates cancels flights on key European route amid national strike
• Portugal Flights Expected to Be Disrupted by December 11 General Strike