Spain General Strike: Six Canary Islands Flights Cancelled by 8:30 a.m. on November 11

Six flights had been cancelled across the Canary Islands by 8:30 a.m. on November 11, with three each at Gran Canaria and Tenerife Sur. The cancellations came from 1,176 scheduled operations across the islands.

Background: Spain General Strike on November 11 Expected to Disrupt Travel, U.S. Embassy Warns

The 24-hour general strike began at midnight. Passengers flying in Spain faced airport cancellations and route-specific minimum schedules, while Storm Charles also disrupted some flights. Aena urged travelers bound for Madrid and Barcelona to check with their airline before setting out.

Housing activists initiated the walkout, and the CCOO and UGT unions backed it. The action was Spain’s first nationwide strike in 14 years, organized around the slogan “Salaries. Housing. Prices.”

The protest focused on housing costs and living expenses. Its organizers called for a countrywide stoppage lasting one day, with aviation among the affected sectors.

Early cancellations appeared at the Canary Islands and Madrid airports

The early airport figures were snapshots from the morning, not end-of-day totals. At 8:30 a.m., Madrid-Barajas had cancelled six flights out of 1,097 scheduled.

• Canary Islands: Six of 1,176 flights cancelled by 8:30 a.m.; three each at Gran Canaria and Tenerife Sur.
• Madrid-Barajas: Six of 1,097 flights cancelled by 8:30 a.m.
• Lanzarote: Flights were operating normally at the time of the airport update.
• Vitoria-Gasteiz and Hondarribia: No cancellations had been reported when the update was made.

Later, the nationwide tally reached 332 flights cancelled by 18:30, out of 4,529 scheduled operations. That figure covered Aena’s airport network and came after the morning snapshots.

Aena said airlines had rearranged schedules ahead of the walkout and moved some passengers onto earlier flights. The advance changes affected how airlines managed the day’s operations.

Minimum flight schedules changed with the route

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility set flight minimum services ranging from 18% to 85%, depending on the route and the airports at either end. The order uses different levels for routes with different public transport alternatives.

Non-peninsular domestic routes and routes covered by public service obligations received minimum levels between 56% and 85%. Within that group, the range was 56%–74% for Canary Islands connections and 68%–75% for Balearic Islands routes. Services connecting Ceuta had an 80% minimum, while routes to Melilla had a 59% minimum.

For international flights and mainland connections with an alternative public transport journey of at least five hours, the minimum ranged from 39% to 64%. The level depended on the route and airports involved.

Mainland routes with another public transport option taking less than five hours had minimum service levels of 18%–37%. The order also provided for the reallocation of 40% of passengers on those routes.

Storm Charles added separate weather disruption

Weather also affected some services, apart from the walkout. Storm Charles was bringing rain and wind, with impacts reported in the Canary Islands and on Iberia’s Portugal routes.

Iberia reported cancelling three Portugal flights for weather reasons: two connections to Lisbon and one to Funchal. Those cancellations were attributed to the weather, rather than listed as strike-related cancellations.

Check with the airline before leaving for the airport

Aena advised passengers heading to Madrid and Barcelona to contact their airline directly before traveling to the airport. Check the flight’s current status before departing, particularly if the itinerary includes a connection or a route with reduced minimum services.

Airlines had already adjusted schedules and rebooked some passengers onto earlier flights. Travelers should use their airline’s updates to confirm whether those changes affect their booking.