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Spain’s Valencia set for airport strike over Easter holidays

Workers at one of Spain’s busiest airports have announced that they will strike during key dates over the Easter break. This is what we know so far about affected flights.

Published: 18 March 2024 12:54 CET
Spain's Valencia set for airport strike over Easter holidays
Passengers wait to board a Ryanair plane at Valencia airport. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP)

Valencia’s Manises airport is set for a strike over the Easter holidays in Spain, from Maundy Thursday (March 28th) until Easter Monday (April 1st).

Valencia airport workers belonging to Spain’s national airport operator Aena have called the stoppage to protest against the lack of staff members, their long working hours and lack of compensation for extra work hours as well as below-bar airport facilities such as canteen for workers open permanently during work hours.

The strikes are scheduled to take place between 11am and 1pm on each of those dates, during which striking employees will hold demonstrations in front of Terminal 1.  

“All our complaints have been fruitless, we’ve been painted and have waited for action, but now that talks have stopped, it’s necessary for us to go one step further and recover what rightfully belongs to us,” reads the Aena workers’ strike manifesto. 

“We’ve proposed a strike calendar, with enough time to resume negotiations in the hope of reaching an agreement and for our requests to be made a reality.”

If the strike does go ahead, reports suggest that several dozen flights could be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.

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 flights connecting Valencia to Milan, Treviso, Trieste, Dublin, Marrakech and Palma de Mallorca
  • SAP and Tap Portugal flights between Valencia and Lisbon

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

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TOURISM

‘Ibiza can’t take it anymore’: Spanish island plans mass tourism protest

The Balearic island of Ibiza is the next place in Spain planning protests against the current tourism model and the problems it’s causing locals, following mass demonstrations in the Canary Islands and a rally set to take place in Málaga. 

Published: 13 May 2024 11:02 CEST
'Ibiza can't take it anymore': Spanish island plans mass tourism protest

Residents in the Mediterranean island of Ibiza are planning to take to the streets at 8pm on May 24th to call on authorities to act on the impact tourism is having on locals’ living standards.  

It started with calls online to “imitate the protests that took place in the Canaries” in April, with many ibicencos (Ibiza locals) feeling that the issues that Ibiza faces as an island that welcomes the rich and famous are even worse than those of the Atlantic Archipelago. 

Already high rents throughout the year skyrocket during the summer when wealthy revellers flock to the party island, to the point where many hospitality workers are forced to live in caravans or tents, or spend huge amounts on just a room. 

READ ALSO: Spain’s Balearics struggle to fill job vacancies due to exorbitant rents    

Under the slogan “Ibiza stands up”, protest organisers Prou Ibiza have called for a series of measures such as a moratorium on new tourist accommodation on the tiny island, incentives for hoteliers who reduce the number of existing beds, as well as protection mechanisms for residents and a crackdown on speculative rents.

Other proposals include limiting the entry of external vehicles and rental cars, private planes and cruise ships. The neighbouring quieter island of Formentera has already limited the entrance of non-resident vehicles, and Ibiza’s government is considering doing the same during the summer months. 

Ibiza received almost a million tourists in 2023, a 10 percent increase compared to the previous year. 

The island’s resident population is also growing as a whole – around 152,000 in 2023 – but it’s during the busy summer months that it more than doubles, reaching a record population of 375,000 between tourists and residents last August. 

This all puts increasing pressure on Ibiza’s limited housing and space.

“It is fundamental to achieve a balance between residents and tourists and that’s why we believe the legitimate voices of the people of Ibiza can guarantee a sustainable future for all,” Prou Ibiza said in a statement. 

They’re “encouraging families, young people, adults, everyone who appreciates a respectful life and who wants to be treated with respect to attend the rally so that authorities can truly feel the pressure that makes us say: Ibiza can’t take it anymore!”.

Ibiza is the third place in Spain where disgruntled residents will or have spoken out en masse against an outdated mass tourism model which no longer benefits them economically and is in fact contributing to them being priced out of their own neighbourhoods. 

Following the protests which saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets of the eight Canary Islands, locals in Málaga on the Costa del Sol are also set to protest in June.

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