British tourists arriving and departing at Palma airport this morning at the start of the busy Easter period where met with delays and queues as the strike by some handling staff entered its second day. Eye-witnesses told the Bulletin that there were long queues at the departure areas.
A total of twelve flights were delayed by midday this morning. Eight of these flights were departures and four were arrivals, according to airport sources. Unions CCOO, UGT, and USO have called for an indefinite strike by Groundforce ground staff which started in Monday, which will take place in three different time slots and affect the 12 airports where the company operates (including Palma.)
These strike will take place between 5:00a.m. and 7:00a.m., between 11:00a.m. and 5:00p.m., and between 10:00 p.m. and midnight each day, for an indefinite period.
British tourists had been warned to expect delays at the airport as a result of the industrial action. Also, it is the first big test for the new European Union Entry and Exit system at Palma after it was introduced at the end of last year.
An estimated 800,000 people are expected to pass through the airport over the Easter period, a figure which is higher than last year.