While a first airpot strike already hit Portugal over the weekend from 26 July to 29 July 2025, four more are scheduled for the month of August. Everyone travelling to, from, or within Portugal over the coming weeks should thus be prepared for potential delays and disruptions.
The Portuguese SIMA (Metal and Allied Industries) union, which represents workers at SPdH/Menzies which are responsible for ground handling across major airlines, has announced industrial strike action involving ground-handling staff at all major Portuguese airports. The reasons for the union to call for action are plural and include base salaries below the national minimum wage, unpaid night shifts, and restricted employee parking access. Moreover, contrary to a previous agreement, Menzies did not honour the 2026 wage progression according to SIMA.
Airports in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Azores will be heavily impacted by the strikes, which will take place from 8 to 11 August, 15 to 18 August, 22 to 25 August, and 29 August to 1 September. The biggest impact is expected at Lisbon Airport, where 2,000 of the 3,500 SPdH/Menzies employees are employed.
Read our latest travel advice for #Portugal, with new information on industrial action affecting Portuguese airports: https://t.co/4CPLvBNkMf pic.twitter.com/VKmNLbvpkh
— FCDO Travel Advice (@FCDOtravelGovUK) July 25, 2025
On the first day of the series of strikes, 27 July 2025, according to the leader of SIMA, Carlos Araújo, 25 flights were cancelled on departure and 19 on arrival.
“Tomorrow, Sunday, the snowball effect will continue and on Monday there will be a total breakdown of service. We were forced into this situation by the intransigence of the current management (SPdH/Menzies),” Araújo told the Portuguese news agency Lusa.
However, ANA-Aeroportos de Portugal talked about 20 cancelled flights. While the disruption was mainly due to the union strike, the emergency landing of a SATA Azores Airlines plane due to a bomb threat further worsened the situation.
@travel_luckk Ground crew at major airports (Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, Azores + more) are striking: 📅 Strike dates: – July 25–28 – Every Fri–Mon in August What’s at risk: • Delayed or canceled flights • longer receive luggage • Long airport queues (especially passport control) But don’t panic — Forewarned is forearmed. I help you build a bulletproof travel plan with: Backup routes Airport hacks Secret local escapes if plans change 💡 Want to travel stress-free even during strikes? Book your travel planner — and let’s make it smooth, magical & mess-free 🌊 📲 DM “STRIKE” or tap the link in bio — before your gate closes 😉 📌 Save + share with anyone flying to Portugal this summer #PortugalTravelAlert #LisbonAirportStrike #PortugalTripTips #PortugalStrikes2025 #PortugalTravelPlanner #PlanAheadPortugal #LisbonTravelTips #PortugalSummer2025 #PortugalLikeALocal #PortugalInsiderTips #FlightDelayTips #PortugalTripPlanner #SummerInPortugal #PortugalTravelHacks #TravelNews2025 #PortugalVacation ♬ оригинальный звук – travel_luckk
What can you do?
As far as passengers are concerned, the strikes are likely to cause long check-in queues, delayed or inexistent baggage handling services, and even potential flight disruptions or cancellations. While air traffic control and aircraft fuelling should not be impacted by the strikes, the ground staff strikes are expected to heavily delay all services.
In order to deal with the situation as well as possible, all travellers are asked to regularly check their flight status before arriving at the airport. Arriving on time and without checked luggage could also positively impact the outcome of their voyage.
Under the EU Regulation 261/2004, travellers are entitled to rerouting flights or refunds when a flight gets cancelled. A compensation can be awarded for delays exceeding three hours, however, this depends on the airline’s responsibility and on the notification timeline.
