MADRID, Nov. 8, 2026 — Spain faces a 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the government’s minimum-service order protects only about one in three short domestic mainland flights at Madrid. Iberia, Iberia Express and Air Nostrum are reportedly letting customers move their trips or take a refund.
What is happening
- When: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, from 00:00 to 23:59. The strike was called by the CCOO and UGT unions, with CGT and other unions joining.
- Who is covered: Spain’s Transport Ministry signed the aviation minimum-services resolution on Nov. 6. It states that all airlines are affected by the strike.
- Iberia Group response: As of Nov. 8, Iberia, Iberia Express and Air Nostrum let passengers change their travel date up to Nov. 26 or take a refund (voucher or original form of payment), including on cancelled flights, and advise arriving at the airport earlier than usual. This is according to the claims site Reclamea; we could not locate the airlines’ own notice.
- Other carriers: As of Nov. 8, Vueling, Air Europa and Ryanair had not published a strike notice.
- Cancellation lists: TBA.
Minimum services that must operate at Madrid-Barajas
| Flight type | Share that must operate |
|---|---|
| Flights to/from the Balearic and Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla | 78% |
| International flights, and domestic mainland flights longer than 5 hours by surface transport | 57% |
| Other (short) domestic mainland flights | 32% |
At other airports the short-domestic minimum ranges from 32% to 37% (Barcelona 34%, Seville 35%) and the international minimum from 53% to 63% (Barcelona 56%, Palma 53%).
What it means for non-revs
- Short mainland domestic flights are the most exposed. Do not count on standby within mainland Spain on Nov. 11.
- Island and international flights are better protected, but the flights that do operate will absorb passengers from cancelled ones, so expect very full loads.
- Nov. 10 and Nov. 12 flights are likely to fill with rebooked passengers. If you need to be in or out of Spain, travel by Nov. 9 or wait until Nov. 13 if you can.
- ZED and interline travellers on Iberia, Iberia Express and Air Nostrum face the same risk as staff; revenue passengers rebooking for free get priority on open seats.
- Check loads the night before and again on the day; cancellation lists had not been published as of Nov. 8.
Sources
- Reclamea, “Huelga general del 11 de noviembre: qué pasa con los vuelos” — https://reclamea.com/vuelos/actualidad/huelga-general-11-noviembre-vuelos/
- Ministerio de Transportes (Spain), minimum-services resolution for the Nov. 11 general strike (PDF) — https://www.transportes.gob.es/recursos_mfom/paginabasica/recursos/53_26-11-11-resolucion_huelga_general_vi.pdf
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