On Friday morning, the announced strikes by the Spanish labor unions UGT and CCOO began

On Friday morning, the announced strikes by the Spanish labor unions UGT and CCOO began. Planned to last until January 8, the protests resulted in the cancellation of several hundred flights on the first day. Nevertheless, the airline Iberia claims that the situation is under control.

Information from Reuters indicates that the spokesperson for the airline announced on Thursday evening that the strike would not affect the operation of Madrid airport. However, passengers using airports in Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Majorca, or Tenerife may feel the impact of the protest. Iberia, Iberia Express, and Air Nostrum have reported the cancellation of 400 flights, while other IAG group airlines, such as Vueling, have also canceled an additional 300 connections.

The reason for the strike is Iberia's decision to discontinue the provision of automatic ground handling services at eight airports, where the company lost the concession to Aena, losing the tender in September of last year. The airline argues that such a decision would lead to a "serious detriment to the competitiveness of the company."

On Twitter, Iberia emphasized: "After the first hours of the strike called by the airport services unions, Iberia reports that the day is proceeding as planned. Minimum services are being respected, the planned staff attendance is 95%, the strike participation rate is 17%, and there are no incidents related to the conflict."