Second day of strike of Portuguese handler Groundforce: 300 flights cancelled yesterday and today

The Groundforce strike will prevent practically all flights scheduled for today at Lisbon airport, which is the most affected. Yesterday, more than 300 flights were cancelled. Many people spent the day in queues that extended outside the airport.

Today marks the second day of the strike called by the Union of Airport Handling Technicians (STHA), as a protest for the “unsustainable instability, regarding the timely payment of wages and other pecuniary components” that Groundforce workers face since February 2021.

On the second day of the strike, 81.3% of the workers in Lisbon didn’t show up for work, leading to the cancellation of 309 flights, between 00:00 and 10:30, according to an official source at the airport assistance company.

“Several airlines opted to cancel the entire operation planned for this Sunday; it is anticipated that, of the total of 511 flights planned for the Portuguese capital, only 200 will be carried out“, said a spokesperson for the company.

In addition to departures, arrivals are also being affected. Passengers are waiting a long time for their luggage.

Porto airport is the second most affected by the strike, with 45.2 % of workers present, followed by Funchal (31.6%) and Faro (31.6 %). According to the company, in Porto Santo there was no disturbance to the operation.

At Madeira airport, there was a calm situation this morning. Six flights scheduled for today were cancelled.