Menzies Strike Causes Chaos: 19 Flights Cancelled at Lisbon Airport

A strike by SPdH/Menzies workers (formerly Groundforce) has led to the cancellation of 19 flights — nine arrivals and ten departures — at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, according to data from ANA — Airports of Portugal sent to Lusa.

ANA advises passengers with flights operated by Menzies, the company responsible for ground handling services, to contact their airline beforehand to confirm the flight status before heading to the airport.

Carlos Araújo, a leader of the Metal and Related Industries Union (SIMA), told Lusa that by 15:00, at least 25 flights had departed with passengers only, without luggage or cargo. He described the situation as "absolute chaos," with passengers being allowed to board with their luggage in an attempt to circumvent the strike's impact.

SIMA represents about 4% of Menzies' approximately 3,600 workers, with around 80% of its members joining the strike, alongside workers from other unions.

The strike, called by SIMA and the Transport Union (ST), began at 00:00 today and will continue until 24:00 on Monday. This is the first of five four-day strikes scheduled for weekends until early September, with additional strikes planned for August.

Workers' demands include ending base salaries below the national minimum wage, payment for night hours, better wage conditions, and maintaining access to the parking lot under previous terms.

SIMA also reported "serious safety failures" at SPdH/Menzies, such as only one technician per boarding gate and untrained workers servicing Delta Air Lines flights. The union highlighted "unsafe" procedures, like phone requests for luggage loading between departments, violating airport safety norms.

About 30 flights today departed without loaded luggage, potentially causing "serious disruptions" for passengers upon arrival. SIMA questioned the absence of inspectors from the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) and the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT) at airports, demanding urgent intervention.

The Arbitration Court set minimum services for flights related to critical safety situations, emergency, military, state, and TAP's European-scale 'night-stop' flights, as well as regular connections between Lisbon and the Azores and Madeira, and between Porto and the archipelagos.