All the European airport strikes planned in September 2025 and beyond
September is one of the most popular months to travel for many holidaymakers.
It’s the start of the shoulder season — the transitional period between peak and off-peak — where there are fewer crowds and more affordable flights and accommodation.
It’s also a time when the unbearable 40°C temperatures in hotspots like Seville and Lisbon shift to more comfortable highs of 26-30°C.
Families without kids, or those with children outside of school age, prefer to travel during this time, too, as it allows them to soak up the last of the summer sun without overspending.
However, travellers heading to popular European countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and the Netherlands this month should double-check their bookings.
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Several strikes have been confirmed, including here on home soil at one major UK airport.
Worried about your holiday? The Metro Travel team has rounded up all the strikes set to take place from now until the end of the month, and beyond.
UK
Passengers travelling through Bournemouth Airport are set to face disruption as workers are set to go on strike for four days.
The action is due to take place on 30 September, 1 October, 16 October and 17 October.
Around 80 members of the Unite trade union, who work in different areas of the airport, including baggage handling, check-in, flight dispatching and plane fuelling, will walk out after they rejected a new pay offer.
Bournemouth Airport serves over 950,000 passengers a year, with flights to 34 destinations across Europe and North Africa, most operated by airlines such as TUI and Ryanair.
Passengers have been advised to check with their airline as the strike dates approach for the latest information on flights.
The Netherlands
After two warning strikes over the past few weeks, which each saw around 100 flights cancelled, KLM ground staff are gearing up for two more strikes in the coming days.
Workers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport – one of the world’s largest airports – are set to strike for six hours from 6am to 2pm on September 24, and from 6am to 2pm on October 1.
The strike, organised by the FNV and CNV unions, is being held amid concerns for the salaries of 14,000 ground staff — the employees responsible for loading and unloading baggage, moving aircraft on the tarmac and assisting passengers with boarding.
The unions argue that ground workers deserve pay rises and are losing out to others in the industry.
For context, KLM recently reached agreements with other unions that promised increases for pilots and board members.
Tomorrow’s walkout alone is expected to cost the airline in the region of €10 million.
On Monday evening, a spokesperson announced it was cancelling 119 flights on September 24 due to the strike.
Remember to check the status of your flight before heading to the airport.
The October 1 strike isn’t necessarily the end of the road, either. Both unions have said they are prepared to escalate action until KLM delivers what they want.
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France
On September 18, the main French air traffic control union, SNCTA, had planned a 24-hour strike driven by calls for wages to be adjusted in line with inflation.
The SNCTA represents around 60 per cent of France’s air traffic controllers, and is the largest ATC union in the country.
The union said in an August statement: ‘For several years now, air traffic control governance has been characterised by mistrust, punitive practices and degrading management methods. It is clear that this fruitless dialogue is now blocking any prospect of progress and reform.’
But, due to the recent collapse of the French government, where Prime Minister Francois Bayrou received a vote of no confidence in Parliament, the strike was cancelled.
Instead, a longer strike is planned from Tuesday, October 7, to Friday, October 10. It will mostly affect airlines that operate flights in and out of French airports.
The SNCTA said the September walkout is ‘no longer compatible with the possibility of achieving demands due to a lack of interlocutors.’ They also said it would be ‘impossible to achieve demands at the ministerial level.’
Travellers should be prepared for severe delays and cancellations.
Ryanair will be one of the major airlines affected, as many flights are routed through French airspace.
Ahead of the September strikes, Michael O’Leary’s low-cost carrier warned that up to 700 flights and more than 125,000 passengers were at risk of having their trips cancelled.
EasyJet, British Airways, Vueling, Lufthansa, Air France — and many other European airlines — also face disruptions on flights that pass through French airspace.
Italy
To protect holiday travel, strikes are banned during the peak summer season from late July to early September.
But now that window is over, it’s fair game. On September 26, a 24-hour walkout will paralyse Italian air transport, as several aviation strikes are set to take place simultaneously.
Organised by the transport union CUB Trasporti, baggage handlers, ground staff, and crew with low-cost carrier Volotea will stop work.
Security staff at Sardinia’s Cagliari Elmas Airport also plan to strike for the full 24 hours.
Staff at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), the largest airport in northern Italy and Milan Linate (LIN) will walk out for four hours.
The strikes are a response to disputes over working conditions, staffing levels across Italy’s transport sector, and pay disagreements.
Flight delays and cancellations, plus long lines at check-in counters and baggage drop-offs, are expected.
Despite the strikes, a Ryanair spokesperson told AeroTime that they will ‘continue to operate a full schedule to/from Italy, and do not expect any disruption to our operations in September.’
On Monday, cities across Italy ground to a standstill as workers staged a sweeping general strike in support of Gaza.
Railway, port and local public transport networks were severely disrupted until 11pm, across several cities including Rome, Naples, and Milan.
Portugal
The Portuguese strikes were shaping up to be more complex, as they were due to continue periodically for the rest of the year and into January 2026.
But in good news for travellers, the 76-day action by Menzies Aviation ground staff has just been called off.
On Thursday, the workers voted to cancel the strike, saying the imposed minimum service requirements made it impossible to exercise their right to strike effectively.
They had been calling for increased pay, better working conditions, employee parking, and night shift compensation. Plus, fulfilment of previously agreed working terms.
The industrial action had been called by SIMA (the Union of Metal and Related Industries) and STA (the Transport Union), targeting Menzies (formerly Groundforce), the company responsible for ground handling services at Portuguese airports.
However, Portugal’s Arbitration Court, under the Economic and Social Council, ruled that minimum service levels had to be maintained.
SIMA hit back, calling the decision a ‘real attack on the right to strike of Portuguese workers in general and of that company in particular’.
Spain
Azul Handling, the company that provides ground handling services to Ryanair Group airlines at several Spanish airports, have been striking since August 15.
Over 3,000 workers in Spain began campaigning for increased pay, better working conditions, job security, and medical leave. Disputes with overtime were brought up, too.
Staff will stage strikes from 5am to 9am every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December 31.
Canarian Weekly has said Ryanair’s 12 Spanish bases will be affected: Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Sevilla, Tenerife South, and Valencia.
The outlet said that while the airports aren’t officially part of the strikes, schedules could experience knock-on delays and cancellations.
However, Ryanair insists there will be no disruption to travellers. The airline said: ‘We do not expect any interruption to our operations as a result of these third-party strikes in Spain.’
Metro has contacted Ryanair for comment.
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