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TRAVEL NEWS

Do I need a Covid health pass to travel between regions in Spain this autumn?

Vaccination or testing proof are the norm for international travel to and from Spain, but what about if you’re already in Spain and flying to another part of the country?

A woman checks her EU Digital Covid certificate on her mobile phone at El Prat airport in Barcelona on July 1, 2021.
There is currently only one region in Spain which requires arrivals by air or sea from another part of Spain to show a Digital Covid Certificate. Photo: Pau Barrena/AFP

NOVEMBER 1ST UPDATE: Covid health pass no longer needed for travel between Spain’s regions

Currently, travel to Spain from most EU and non-EU countries requires proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test. 

The same applies to other nations’ health requirements for travellers from Spain: proof of Covid-19 health status is a must with very few exceptions.

But how about national travellers? 

Do you need to show the Covid health pass issued by your region if you’re flying between Madrid and Barcelona?

In the event that you’re not fully vaccinated against Covid-19, do you need to get a Covid-19 test before catching a ferry between Valencia and Mallorca?

The answer is no if you’re flying between two places on the Spanish mainland.

The exceptions are – or have been until recently – Spain’s two archipelagos: the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. 

It’s worth pointing out that for bus, car or train journeys within the Spanish mainland, having to show a Covid health pass at any point of the journey is not a requirement.  

The Canary Islands 

On October 1st, the Canary government lifted the requirement for passengers arriving from another part of Spain to have to show a Covid health pass reflecting their full vaccination, negative Covid test results or proof of recovery. 

The high rate of vaccination in the archipelago and low rate of infections are the two main reasons given for this decision.

In practice, it means one step less of security that arrivals from other parts of Spain have to go through when arriving at the Canaries’ airports and ports (it also applies to ferries).

It also means that arrivals in the Canary Islands with no proof of vaccination or testing will no longer have to quarantine until they get the negative results of Covid-19 test.  

Regional health authorities found that over the summer holidays, 94 percent of arrivals from the rest of Spain provided either a negative Covid-19 test or proof of full vaccination. 

The Balearic Islands 

As things stand, the Balearic Islands is the only region which requires national travellers to show some form of Covid health pass.

However, these restrictions are up for discussion on October 25th, meaning that arrivals by sea or air to Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera may soon not be asked for proof of vaccination, recovery or testing. 

As things stand, the Balearic government determines whether travellers need to show a Covid health pass depending on whether the regions they are resident in have a fortnightly infection rate below or above 60 cases per 100,000 people. 

If it’s under that rate, there’s no health pass requirement, but if it’s above there is.

You can check whether you need to show a Covid health pass on the Balearic government’s health website here.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Which flights will be affected by Spain’s airport strikes over Easter?

If you've got a flight booked to or from Valencia or Madrid-Barajas airport over Easter, industrial action by staff could delay your journey or even lead to it being cancelled.

Which flights will be affected by Spain's airport strikes over Easter?

Airport staff in Valencia and Madrid are going on strike over key Easter dates, meaning that as many as a thousand flights could be delayed or cancelled during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Semana Santa celebrations have already been disrupted by rain this year, causing the cancellation of processions across the country, but travel during the busy Easter period is also set to be affected by strike action at two of Spain’s major airports.

At Valencia Manises airport, one of the busiest airports in Spain which welcomed almost 10 million passengers in 2023, flights could be affected over the entire Easter weekend (Thursday March 28th-Monday April 1st inclusive) because workers will walk out between 11am-13am on each day.

At Madrid-Barajas airport, the UGT union has called a strike for Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm.

READ ALSO: Spain’s Valencia set for airport strike over Easter holidays

The walkout at Valencia begins today, March 28th. According to the live departures board provided by Aena, Spain’s national airport operator, which you can follow here, as of 9.30am flights are leaving the airport with minor delays of up to 40 minutes, though this is before the strike officially begins at 11am.

Aena live departures for Madrid-Barajas show that some flights have left with delays of up to 45 minutes this morning, though it is worth noting that staff are not officially on strike there today (walkouts in Madrid are Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm) which could suggest a knock-on effect from yesterday’s strike action.

The industrial action comes during not only during Easter celebrations but operación salida, an intensely busy travel period during which millions of Spaniards travel home or go on holiday for Semana Santa.

READ ALSO: Strike action at Spanish airports set to disrupt Easter travel

Staff at Madrid-Barajas are striking for better pay and a new collective bargaining agreement, arguing their salaries have declined in real terms due to inflation, and employees at Valencia Manises are protesting against long working hours and a lack of staff, plus a dispute with regards to overtime pay.

Spanish media reports suggest that up to 1000 flights could be cancelled as a result of the walkouts. On Wednesday 27th, there was also ‘chaos’ at Palma de Mallorca airport, according to Spanish media, with long queues at security controls meaning it took many passengers an hour to get to their departure gate.

Which flights will be affected by Spain’s airport strikes over Easter?

Knowing exactly which flights could be affected, however, isn’t entirely clear. There seems to be certain airlines and routes more likely to be affected than others.

Madrid-Barajas

It is still unclear exactly which flights could be affected at Madrid-Barajas, so it is advisable to check with your airline. You can check the airport schedule on the Aena website here.

On Wednesday 27th March, the day the strike began in Madrid, both short and long-haul flights were delayed or cancelled.

Departure records from Flight Stats show that long-haul flights to the United States were cancelled throughout the day, and short-haul flights around Europe and to other Spanish cities were running with delays of up to 2 hours. Many also arrived on schedule, however.

Valencia Manises

As the strike action begins in Valencia on Thursday morning, reports suggest that several dozen flights could be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled. If you are uncertain about your flight, check with your airline.

On Thursday 28th, flights that could be affected by the stoppage include:

  • Ryanair flights connecting Valencia with Rome, Milan Bologna, Breslavia and Sofia 
  • United and Lufthansa flights connecting Valencia with Frankfurt and Munich
  • Easyjet and British Airways flights between Valencia and London
  • Turkish Airlines flights between Valencia and Istanbul
  • Air Europa flights between Valencia and Palma de Mallorca
  • Swiss flights connecting Valencia to Zurich
  • Volotea flights between Valencia and A Coruña
  • Eurowings’ Valencia-Stuttgart flights

On Friday 29th, flights that could be cancelled are:

  • Ryanair to Milan, Treviso, Trieste, Dublin, Marrakech and Palma de Mallorca
  • SAP and Tap Portugal flights between Valencia and Lisbon
  • United to Frankfurt
  • Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Munich
  • Austrian to Vienna
  • Air Nostrum to Ibiza
  • Delta to París Charles de Gaulle
  • Air France to París Charles de Gaulle
  • Air Europa to Palma de Mallorca
  • Easyjet to London
  • British Airways to London
  • Brussels Airlines to Brussels
  • Iberia to Tenerife North
  • Tap Portugal to Lisbon
  • Turkish Airlines to Istanbul
  • Swiss to Zúrich
  • Volotea to A Coruña, San Sebastián
  • Vueling to Tenerife North
  • Eurowings to Stuttgart

There is no further information yet about which flights could be affected on Saturday 30th, Sunday 31st and Monday April 1st.

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