Groundforce Strike Continues to Cause Baggage Delays and Cancellations at Barcelona Airport

The strike by the union representing ground crew—including baggage handlers—at Barcelona’s main airport remains ongoing, nearly two weeks after workers officially walked off the job.

Workers for Groundforce Barcelona, which includes roughly 1,200 check-in, boarding, baggage, and ramp operation employees, are still on strike at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) as of Sunday, August 16. According to Spanish media reports, more than 3,000 pieces of luggage remain unretrieved, and more than 150 flights have been canceled since the strike started earlier this month.

According to La Vanguardia, some passengers have waited up to five hours to locate checked luggage, and holding areas across El Prat’s Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 continue to fill with bags with “no signs of resolution.”

Citing a union spokesperson, La Vanguardia reported that management and employee representatives have not held talks since July 24.

Groundforce is a private company that handles logistics at BCN for airline groups like Lufthansa, Air France–KLM, and Qatar Airways. It is contracted directly through those airlines and the current issue is between the union representing the workers and management.

There’s no estimate as to when the strike will end. The union that represents the workers continues to push for reforms, including better staffing, workload relief, and increased safety protocols.

The body that governs the country’s airports, Aena, is telling all passengers going through the airport “to check flight statuses directly with their airlines and carry essential items in hand luggage to manage potential baggage delays.”

While delays and baggage issues are expected to continue, the airport will remain operational through the strike. Spain’s Ministry of Transport has set mandatory minimum service levels requiring Groundforce to maintain between 35% and 80% of normal operations depending on the route.