The Digester
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Groundforce strike causes flight delays and baggage chaos at 12 Spanish airports

An indefinite strike by Groundforce ground staff has begun, with unions reporting 40 to 70 minute flight delays, baggage system failures in Madrid and Barcelona, and widespread luggage disruptions across 12 Spanish airports as the dispute over pay commitments continues.

Mar 30th 2026 · Spain

Insights

  • Indefinite strike by UGT, CC OO and USO affects Groundforce ground staff at 12 Spanish airports.
  • Unions report delays of 40 to 70 minutes at major airports and collapse of baggage belts in Madrid and Barcelona.
  • Baggage waits of up to 50 minutes are reported in Bilbao, Valencia and Madrid and many planes are arriving without luggage.
  • Strike windows run daily from 05:00 to 07:00, 11:00 to 17:00 and 22:00 to 00:00 starting Monday.
  • Groundforce provides handling for Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, DAP, Wizz Air and some charters while Vueling, Iberia, Pegasus and Germanwings are not affected.
  • Unions say the action responds to the company breaching agreed salary commitments in the collective agreement.
  • The Transport Ministry imposed minimum services from 27% to 100% depending on route and airport, which unions call abusive.

Sources