Spanish holidaymakers to face summer travel misery, warns Euro MP

Holidaymakers travelling to popular Spanish beach and city destinations during the Easter break and summer holidays will face serious disruption if a series of planned strikes by Spanish airport workers go ahead, warns senior North West Labour MEP Brian Simpson.

The planned strikes will bring Spanish airports to a standstill in the popular holiday resorts of Alicante, Lanzarote and Tenerife alongside the cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Mr Simpson has today [Wednesday 9th March] received a list of dates [see notes below] that have been earmarked for the strike action, including Easter weekend, the May bank holiday and the height of summer.

Labour's Brian Simpson, who sits as Chairman of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee, said in reaction to the news: "I hope the dispute is resolved so that long-suffering passengers can enjoy hassle-free travel, but the prospects don't look good. Any holidaymakers with flights booked for these dates should contact their airline before travelling and be prepared for disruption".

The strikes have been called by Spanish trade unions in protest at the Spanish Government's plans to sell-off 49% of AENA, the state-owned national airport authority which operates the majority of airports, arguing that the move will lead to airport closures and job losses.