General strike in Spain, 11 November 2026: flights, refunds and compensation

Published: October 26, 2026 · Last updated: October 26, 2026

Spain's two largest unions, CCOO and UGT, have called a 24-hour general strike for Wednesday 11 November 2026 over housing costs and wages. It is the first general strike the two have called together since November 2012. Flights to, from and within Spain may be cancelled or delayed: you are always entitled to a refund or another flight and to care while you wait, and whether compensation of €250 to €600 is also owed depends on who is striking and when you were told.

Airkarma handles claims under EU Regulation 261/2004: flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into those countries on a European airline. Flights departing from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.

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What is planned

The strike runs for 24 hours on Wednesday 11 November 2026, across Spain and in every sector, public and private. CCOO and UGT want wages that cover rents and mortgages, rent caps in high-pressure areas, more public housing and limits on tourist rentals. The CGT and LAB unions have joined the call; CSIF has said it will not take part. Spain's general election follows on 29 November.

Which flights may be affected

A general strike reaches airports through the people who work there: ground handlers, who load bags and turn aircraft round, airport and security staff, and some airline employees. Delays and cancellations are therefore possible on domestic and international flights at every Spanish airport, and on public transport to and from the airports. How many flights operate depends on the minimum services and on how many staff take part.

Minimum services

For strikes affecting air transport, Spain's Ministry of Transport sets minimum services: a share of flights that must operate, by type of route. In recent ground-handling strikes, for example, it protected about 77% of flights to the Balearic and Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, about 57% of international flights and about 36% of domestic flights with a land alternative of under 5 hours. The decision for 11 November has not been published yet. Your airline chooses which flights it keeps, so check your booking.

The 14-day line: 28 October

Compensation for a cancellation depends first on when you were told. If your airline told you on or before Wednesday 28 October, at least two weeks before an 11 November flight, no compensation is owed, although a refund or another flight still is. If it told you on 29 October or later, compensation may be owed, depending on the cause (next section).

Who is striking decides whether compensation is owed

When ground handlers, airport or security staff, or air traffic controllers stop work, the cause lies outside the airline: it is generally treated as an extraordinary circumstance, and the fixed compensation is usually not owed. When an airline's own staff strike over their own pay and conditions, the Court of Justice of the European Union holds that this is not an extraordinary circumstance (Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, 2021). Whether the same applies when an airline's own employees join a general strike against government policy has not been decided. Airlines are likely to dispute it, and we assess each case on its facts.

Your rights if your flight is cancelled

Whatever the cause, the airline must offer you a full refund within 7 days or another flight to your destination. While you wait, it must provide meals and refreshments and, if you have to stay overnight, a hotel and transport to it. Where compensation is owed, it is per passenger:

€250 up to 1,500 km, such as Madrid to Barcelona (about 480 km);
€400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, such as Madrid to Tenerife South (about 1,820 km);
€600 over 3,500 km, such as Madrid to New York JFK (about 5,760 km).

If your flight is delayed

If you reach your destination 3 hours or more late, the same amounts can apply (Court of Justice of the European Union, Sturgeon, C-402/07, 2009), and the same question of cause decides. What counts is when the aircraft doors open on arrival (Germanwings, C-452/13, 2014).

What to do now

Check your booking in the airline's app before you travel, and keep every email or text message about a cancellation or a new time: the date you were told matters. If your flight is cancelled, choose between the refund and another flight, keep your receipts for meals and the hotel, and check your flight with us: it takes two minutes and costs nothing unless we win.

Frequently asked questions

My 11 November flight has not been cancelled. Should I change it?

Not necessarily. If you change or cancel it yourself, the airline owes you nothing under the Regulation for that flight. Wait for your airline: if it cancels or moves your flight, you are entitled to a refund or another flight at no cost.

Will Iberia, Vueling and Ryanair flights operate?

Each airline decides which flights it keeps within the minimum services the ministry sets, and tells the passengers affected. As of 26 October none had announced cancellations. The protected share is highest on island routes and lowest on short domestic routes.

Will I get compensation if my flight is cancelled because of the general strike?

It depends. If you were told on or before 28 October, no. If later, it depends on who was striking: usually not for ground handlers, airport staff or air traffic controllers; possibly for the airline's own staff, a question the courts have not yet settled. A refund or another flight, and care, are owed in every case.

I am flying to Spain from another country. Am I covered?

Yes, if you depart from an airport in the European Union, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, on any airline, or from elsewhere on a European airline. Flights from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.

Official sources

The texts this page is based on:

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