4 August 2026ONGOINGStrike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)

Barcelona El Prat ground-handling strike: indefinite walkout since 4 August, resumed 17 September

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Around 1,100-1,179 Groundforce ground-handling staff began an indefinite strike at Barcelona-El Prat on 4 August 2026, called by the CGT union in a dispute over staffing levels, overtime, rest periods and safety training.
Check-in, boarding, baggage and flight coordination are affected for airlines handled by Groundforce, including Air Europa, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Finnair. Carriers using other handlers are largely unaffected.
Minimum-service rules keep roughly 35-80% of normal operations running depending on the route, so the impact varies day to day. By late August around 270 flights had been cancelled and more than 6,000 bags delayed or left unclaimed; in early September worker representatives reported 10-14 cancellations a day.
The strike was suspended for a period to allow negotiations, but CGT resumed it indefinitely on 17 September 2026 after no settlement was reached and after the company dismissed two members of the strike committee. The action was still running as of 25 September.

Sources: Generalitat de Catalunya — passenger rights notice · Infobae — strike resumed · The Objective · FTN News · Merca2

WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR CLAIM

COMPENSATION: UNLIKELY — CARE STILL OWED

A strike by air traffic control, airport, or security staff is outside the airline's control and normally counts as an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is usually not owed. Care and rerouting duties still apply in full — the airline must feed you, house you if necessary, and get you to your destination or refund you.

Basis: Recital 14, Regulation 261/2004

WHATEVER THE CAUSE, YOU'RE OWED

Meals and refreshments after 2–4 hours' wait (by flight distance), plus hotel and transfers if you are delayed overnight.
On cancellation: the choice between rerouting as soon as possible, rerouting at a later date, or a full refund within 7 days.
If the airline provides no care, keep receipts — reasonable expenses are reimbursable.
These duties apply even when the disruption itself is extraordinary.

CAUGHT IN THIS RIGHT NOW?

Open the Black Box and record what the airline tells you — especially the reason. The exact wording decides the extraordinary-circumstances question later.
Ask for rerouting in writing (app chat or email), and keep every receipt.
Once you know your final delay, check your flight and generate the letter.
Airline already replied with an excuse? Decode it.

This page explains the rules that generally apply to this type of disruption. Airlines assess each claim on its own facts; eligibility for a specific flight depends on its circumstances.