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Strike at El Prat could delay flights this summer
El Prat Airport faces the start of summer with a strike that could complicate the plans of thousands of travellers. Staff responsible for the fingers, the walkways connecting the terminal to aircraft, have called six days of stoppages on high-traffic dates to demand more staff.
The strikes are scheduled for 20, 23, 27 and 28 June, as well as 4 and 5 July. These are particularly sensitive dates because they coincide with the start of the main holiday period, weekend getaways, and mass passenger movements at one of Spain’s busiest airports.
The protest is being organised by workers from EFS Mantenimiento y Servicios Técnicos SLU, the company that provides this service at the airport. They claim that the current workforce of 86 people is not enough to handle the expected volume of operations during the high season.
Their main demand is to hire at least 18 more workers. According to staff, without this reinforcement it will be difficult to maintain the usual flow during boarding and disembarking, especially at peak times or when there are accumulated delays.
The fingers are a little-noticed part of the journey, but crucial for everything to run smoothly. When these walkways are unavailable or not managed quickly, passengers may end up boarding by other means, waiting longer at the gate, or facing operational changes that delay the plane’s departure.
The impact will depend on the minimum service levels and whether the company and workers reach an agreement before the scheduled dates. Even so, the strike comes at a delicate time for El Prat, when any incident can be amplified by the high number of flights and passengers.
For those with tickets on those days, the advice is to check the status of your flight before heading to the airport, allow more time than usual, and stay alert for possible gate changes or airline notifications. The problem does not only affect holidaymakers: it can also disrupt connections, business trips, and tourist arrivals in Barcelona.
The strike is a reminder of how much an airport’s operation depends on tasks that are almost never seen. At El Prat, the fingers are just one part of a huge machine, but if they fail or are understaffed, the effects can be felt in queues, boarding, and punctuality throughout the day.