Spain general strike on 11 November: what it means for your flight
At a glance
A nationwide general strike is called in Spain for Wednesday 11 November 2026, from 00:00 to 24:00. Spain's Ministry of Transport has set minimum services for air transport, protecting a share of scheduled flights at each airport, for each route and airline. The resolution does not say which flights will be cancelled. Check your airline's information before you travel.
11 November
Wednesday, nationwide in Spain
00:00 to 24:00
local time · strike call
Minimum services
set per airport, route and airline
In this article
Quick facts
Facts checked
- Date
- Wednesday 11 November 2026
- Where
- Nationwide in Spain
- Hours
- 00:00 to 24:00 local time
- Status checked
- 7 November · Ministry of Transport resolution of 6 November read
Confirmed: Spain's Ministry of Transport states that unions have called a nationwide general strike on 11 November 2026 from 00:00 to 24:00, and has set minimum services for air transport at each affected airport.
Still uncertain: The resolution does not list which flights will run or be cancelled. How many staff join the strike, and how each airline plans its schedule, is not known from the resolution.
Check your compensation
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Another flight problemWhat to do now
Check your flight status
Follow your airline's app, email and text messages before you go to the airport. The strike call alone does not tell you whether your flight will operate.
If your flight is cancelled
If the airline cancels your flight, EU261 may give you a choice of re-routing or a refund.
Plan the trip to the airport
The strike is nationwide. Allow extra time to reach the airport.
Keep messages and receipts
Save your booking, the airline's messages, the reason given and your actual arrival time. Keep reasonable receipts if the airline does not provide care.
Your passenger rights
Flights departing from Spain normally fall within EU261. For flights arriving in Spain from outside the EU, it depends on the operating airline. Rights depend on what actually happens to your flight.
The cause matters
Whether a strike is an extraordinary circumstance depends on who is striking and why. A strike by the airline's own staff is normally not one (case C-28/20).
Re-routing or refund
If your flight is cancelled under EU261, you may be entitled to choose between re-routing and a refund.
Help while waiting
During long waits, meals, refreshments and, where needed, a hotel and transfers may be covered.
7 November: minimum flight services published
- Spain's Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility signed the resolution on minimum services for air transport on 6 November 2026. We read it on 7 November.
- It protects a share of scheduled passenger flights at each affected airport, for each route and airline. The share depends on the airport and the type of route.
- It does not list individual flights.
Who is striking, and when
According to the Ministry of Transport, the unions CCOO, UGT, CGT, CNT, CI, Solidaridad Obrera, COBAS, OSAD and ASC have called a nationwide general strike. CGT Andalucía has called a general strike in Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla, and ELA, LAB, ESK and STEILAS in the Basque Country.
The strike runs on 11 November 2026 from 00:00 to 24:00. At workplaces with shifts, it starts with the last shift before midnight and ends when the last shift that began on 11 November is over, even if that is the next day.
Which flights are protected
The ministry sets a protection percentage for each airport and each type of route. For flights between Spain and other countries, and for domestic routes where the alternative by public transport takes five hours or more, the percentages range from 39% to 64% of scheduled flights, depending on the airport.
Domestic routes to and from territories outside the mainland, and all routes under a public service obligation, are protected at between 52% and 85%. Domestic routes on the mainland with a public transport alternative under five hours are protected at between 18% and 37%.
Flights scheduled to depart before the strike began and due to land during it are protected, as are overflights with neither origin nor destination in Spain. Ground handling, air traffic control and airport services needed for the protected flights are covered as essential services.
What the minimum services do not tell you
A percentage is not a flight list. Your flight may run or be cancelled whatever the percentage at your airport. Only your airline can tell you what happens to your booking.
This article covers flights only.
EU261: compensation, alternatives and care
Whether a strike is an extraordinary circumstance depends on who is striking and why. The Court of Justice has held that strikes external to the airline, such as action by air traffic controllers or airport staff, may be extraordinary circumstances, while a strike by the airline's own staff is normally not (case C-28/20).
The airline must still show the link between the strike and your disruption, and that it could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. If the cause was within the airline's control, you may be entitled to compensation of up to €600 per passenger.
A cancelled flight under EU261 may give you a choice between re-routing and a refund, and long waits may give you a right to care. Read more about cancelled flights and delays.
Frequently asked questions
No. The Ministry of Transport has set minimum services that protect a share of flights at each airport. Which flights operate depends on each airline's plan.
From 00:00 to 24:00 on 11 November 2026, local time. At workplaces with shifts, it can start with the last shift before midnight and end after the last shift that began on 11 November.
Flights between Spain and other countries are protected at between 39% and 64% of scheduled flights, depending on the airport. That does not tell you whether your specific flight will run.
It depends on who was striking and why, and on the facts of your flight. If the cause was within the airline's control, you may be entitled to compensation.
Yes, where the conditions are met. Re-routing or a refund after a cancellation, and care during long waits, may apply.
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Another flight problemShow all 4 sources
Every factual statement in this article rests on one of the sources below: EU regulations, judgments of the EU Court of Justice and the authorities' own pages.
Sources
- Resolution setting minimum services in air transport during the general strike (11 November 2026), signed 6 November 2026 · Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible · Authority · retrieved 2026-11-07
- Minimum services resolutions (listing page) · Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible · Authority · retrieved 2026-11-07
- Air passenger rights · European Union / Your Europe · Authority · retrieved 2026-11-07
- Case C-28/20, Airhelp v SAS, paragraphs 42 to 45 · Court of Justice / EUR-Lex · Case law · retrieved 2026-11-07