With strikes planned in Italy, the UK, Spain and Portugal—and staff shortages looming in France—Europe’s airports are bracing for a turbulent fortnight. A Travel & Tour World briefing published on 24 December maps out the key pain-points and provides mitigation tips that Swiss companies can incorporate into their travel policies.
Italy tops the alert list: Swissport Italia staff at Milan Linate will stop work for 24 hours on 9 January, while air-traffic controllers threaten rolling action in Verona. In Britain, Luton baggage-handlers and Heathrow-based Scandinavian Airlines cabin crew have walk-outs pencilled in for late December. Spain continues its pattern of Wednesday-to-Sunday ground-handling strikes, and Portugal’s airports face a 31 December–1 January shutdown.
At this stage, it’s also worth remembering that travel disruptions often coincide with passport or visa complications. Swiss citizens, as well as resident foreign nationals, can streamline their documentation through VisaHQ’s dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), which offers fast visa processing, real-time status updates and expert support. Having paperwork sorted in advance gives travellers one less variable to worry about when strikes start shifting flight schedules at the last minute.
![Holiday-Season Survival Guide: European Airport Strikes and Tips for Swiss Travellers]()
For Swiss travellers, the ripple effects can be severe. Zurich and Geneva rely on Milan, Barcelona and Madrid as feeder hubs, meaning missed connections could strand passengers long after local action ends. The article recommends five defensive strategies: arrive two hours earlier than normal; sign up for airline push alerts; line up train or bus alternatives; book hotels with flexible cancellation clauses; and keep carry-on essentials handy.
Swiss HR departments are embedding these guidelines into pre-trip briefings and duty-of-care platforms such as International SOS. Some multinationals are even trialling a ‘strike buffer day’, asking employees to travel one day earlier for high-stakes meetings in case their first flight is cancelled.
While the wave of labour unrest is expected to subside by mid-January, analysts note that wage negotiations across Europe’s aviation sector remain tense. Expect sporadic flare-ups throughout 2026—particularly as the EU’s new Entry/Exit biometric system lengthens ground-handling turn-times and raises work-load pressures.
Italy tops the alert list: Swissport Italia staff at Milan Linate will stop work for 24 hours on 9 January, while air-traffic controllers threaten rolling action in Verona. In Britain, Luton baggage-handlers and Heathrow-based Scandinavian Airlines cabin crew have walk-outs pencilled in for late December. Spain continues its pattern of Wednesday-to-Sunday ground-handling strikes, and Portugal’s airports face a 31 December–1 January shutdown.
At this stage, it’s also worth remembering that travel disruptions often coincide with passport or visa complications. Swiss citizens, as well as resident foreign nationals, can streamline their documentation through VisaHQ’s dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), which offers fast visa processing, real-time status updates and expert support. Having paperwork sorted in advance gives travellers one less variable to worry about when strikes start shifting flight schedules at the last minute.
For Swiss travellers, the ripple effects can be severe. Zurich and Geneva rely on Milan, Barcelona and Madrid as feeder hubs, meaning missed connections could strand passengers long after local action ends. The article recommends five defensive strategies: arrive two hours earlier than normal; sign up for airline push alerts; line up train or bus alternatives; book hotels with flexible cancellation clauses; and keep carry-on essentials handy.
Swiss HR departments are embedding these guidelines into pre-trip briefings and duty-of-care platforms such as International SOS. Some multinationals are even trialling a ‘strike buffer day’, asking employees to travel one day earlier for high-stakes meetings in case their first flight is cancelled.
While the wave of labour unrest is expected to subside by mid-January, analysts note that wage negotiations across Europe’s aviation sector remain tense. Expect sporadic flare-ups throughout 2026—particularly as the EU’s new Entry/Exit biometric system lengthens ground-handling turn-times and raises work-load pressures.
