Brits travelling to Spain during the Easter break could encounter significant travel chaos due to major airport strikes.

Over a million holidaymakers could be affected by industrial action taking place at popular destinations throughout Spain over the next week. The strikes are being staged by Groundforce staff, which provides ground-handling services for several airlines, including easyJet and Jet2.

They could disrupt ground-handling services at Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Valencia, Ibiza, Bilbao, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Over 3,000 ground-handling staff are expected to participate in the walkouts, which have been described as an "indefinite strike". They have been called by unions CC OO, UGT and USO, and experts predict that more than 1.34 million travellers will be impacted.

The industrial action, following a dispute over pay, was due to commence last Friday, but was postponed until Monday, 30 March. They are taking place at specific times every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, during some of the busiest travel periods, including from 5am to 7am, from 11am to 5pm, and from 10pm to midnight, and will continue indefinitely.

Following the first morning of the industrial action on Monday, the local news outlet, Majorca Daily Bulletin, reported that 12 flights were delayed at Palma airport, which also affected Ibiza airport. While further reports are yet to be published, there are no indications of the strikes concluding anytime soon, with lengthier queues anticipated at Spanish airports, alongside delayed luggage drops and slower boarding, reports the Mirror.

Travellers on social media reported queues up to 90 minutes, with some alleging that they missed flights after becoming stuck in the "chaos" at Terminal 4.

In a warning to holidaymakers, the Traveler website reported that "travellers heading to Spain over Easter face a challenging season, as walkouts by airport ground staff threaten queues, baggage delays and potential timetable disruption at some of the country's busiest hubs".

It added that "reports indicate that the stoppages are partial rather than full shutdowns, typically concentrated in several time bands during mornings, midday and late evenings. This pattern mirrors earlier labour disputes at Madrid, where limited ground handling strikes created bottlenecks at baggage reclaim and during boarding, while flights continued to operate under minimum service rules."

It continued: "For most holidaymakers, the most visible impact of the strikes is likely to be queues and slower processing rather than mass cancellations."

Furthermore, another baggage handling company, Menzies, has announced industrial action set to occur from April 2 to April 6. This is anticipated to involve over 5,000 staff members, with Menzies operating at Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South and Tenerife North.

Groundforce and Menzies had previously cancelled their intended industrial action last weekend, before revealing the plans for this week. Spanish airport operator Aena stated: "Groundforce staff have called an indefinite strike starting 30 March. Partial work stoppages will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during three time slots: 5-7am, 11am-5pm, and 10pm-midnight. Please contact the airline to find out the status of your flight."

Groundforce has been approached for comment.

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