Brits travelling to popular destination warned over airport strikes until 2026

Strikes could occur throughout the remainder of the year (Image: Getty)

If you have a holiday booked to Portugal in the coming weeks or months, there's a strong chance your trip could be cancelled or severely delayed due to strikes. Travel disruption is looming over Portugal’s main airports, including Lisbon, Porto, Faro, and Madeira, as ground handling staff prepare to stage strikes intermittently from September until the start of 2026. These strikes threaten to cause significant delays and cancellations, especially during peak travel times, potentially impacting thousands of passengers. 

The Metallurgical and Related Industries Union (SIMA), representing workers at ground handling company Menzies Aviation, announced new strike plans after recent talks failed to resolve ongoing disputes. According to a strike notice obtained by Portuguese news outlet Público, industrial action will take place in alternating phases between September 3 and January 2, 2026, including weekends, long weekends, and holiday periods. The initial strike is set to begin at midnight on September 3 and continue until midnight on September 9.

The strikes are expected to affect travellers arriving for weekends and the festive season. (Image: Getty)

Additional stoppages are planned for the periods of September 12-15, 19-22, and 26-28. 

Throughout October, the strikes will focus on weekends, starting Friday evening and ending Monday morning. 

Similar weekend strike schedules are expected for November and December, culminating in a longer strike from December 19 to January 2, 2026, over the festive season.

The union’s primary demands include ensuring that base wages meet or exceed the national minimum wage, fair compensation for night shifts, and guaranteed access to parking facilities for workers.

SIMA had previously called off strikes in July following a meeting with Menzies but resumed action after talks on August 14 failed to produce any tangible commitments from the company.

A statement from SIMA expressed regret over the situation but emphasised their inability to accept the continuation of current conditions without improvement.

The union, however, remains open to further negotiations and hopes for concrete proposals from Menzies soon.

France has also warned travellers that a new strike could take place next month. The SNCTA, France's largest air traffic controllers' union representing approximately 60% of the workforce, has filed a strike notice for a 48-hour walkout beginning Thursday, September 18, and ending Friday, September 19.

If other aviation unions choose to support the strike, the impact could be widespread, potentially affecting all major French airports including Paris Charles de Gaulle, the busiest in the country, which handled over 70 million passengers in 2024.

The strike is expected to cause significant delays and cancellations not just within France, but also across wider European airspace with many flights passing through French-controlled skies.