A nationwide strike by Portuguese public-sector unions on 11 December 2025 forced airlines to cancel at least 102 flights and delay 16 more across Europe. Lufthansa, Swiss, Air France, Icelandair and TAP Air Portugal were among the hardest hit. Lufthansa alone grounded dozens of rotations between Frankfurt, Munich and Lisbon/Porto, disrupting business-traveller itineraries in the pre-holiday peak.
Although the walk-out is outside Germany, its ripple effects were immediately felt at German hubs: • Frankfurt Airport re-assigned gates and advised passengers to rebook; • Munich activated its contingency plan, offering rail vouchers for travellers switching to overland routes; • Cargo belly-hold capacity fell, tightening space for high-value exports to Brazil and Angola routed via Lisbon.
![Portugal general strike grounds 100+ flights, Lufthansa and other carriers cancel German services]()
For German-based travellers scrambling to re-route or extend trips because of the strike, VisaHQ can help smooth the process: the service lets users confirm current entry rules, obtain emergency visas and manage passport renewals entirely online—ideal when plans change at short notice. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/germany/.
The strike centres on wage disputes as Portugal’s inflation remains above 5 %. With further labour actions likely, travel-managers of German multinationals are urged to build slack into December schedules and monitor interline agreements for re-routing.
Tactical tips: • Encourage staff to check in online and sign up for airline alerts; • Use EU261 knowledge – cancellations from Germany to Portugal entitle passengers to compensation unless extraordinary circumstances apply; • For time-critical shipments, consider shifting freight to Madrid or northern Italian gateways.
Although the walk-out is outside Germany, its ripple effects were immediately felt at German hubs: • Frankfurt Airport re-assigned gates and advised passengers to rebook; • Munich activated its contingency plan, offering rail vouchers for travellers switching to overland routes; • Cargo belly-hold capacity fell, tightening space for high-value exports to Brazil and Angola routed via Lisbon.
For German-based travellers scrambling to re-route or extend trips because of the strike, VisaHQ can help smooth the process: the service lets users confirm current entry rules, obtain emergency visas and manage passport renewals entirely online—ideal when plans change at short notice. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/germany/.
The strike centres on wage disputes as Portugal’s inflation remains above 5 %. With further labour actions likely, travel-managers of German multinationals are urged to build slack into December schedules and monitor interline agreements for re-routing.
Tactical tips: • Encourage staff to check in online and sign up for airline alerts; • Use EU261 knowledge – cancellations from Germany to Portugal entitle passengers to compensation unless extraordinary circumstances apply; • For time-critical shipments, consider shifting freight to Madrid or northern Italian gateways.
