Madrid-Barajas baggage system strike: partial stoppages five days a week until 30 November

Workers of Outsmart Assistance, the company involved in the baggage handling system at Madrid-Barajas Airport, are holding partial stoppages at all terminals until 30 November 2026, according to the minimum-services resolutions published by Spain's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.

The ministry's register lists a resolution covering a strike called by the union Alternativa Sindical de Clase, with effects from 1 October to 30 November 2026. The stoppages take place on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 5:00 to 7:00 and from 13:00 to 15:00. The ministry sets minimum services for each strike affecting air transport in Spain, so that part of the activity continues during the stoppages.

The dispute is not new. The same register shows a series of earlier resolutions concerning the Madrid-Barajas baggage system since January 2025, involving Outsmart Assistance and other companies, with stoppage windows that have changed over time. Because the stoppages cover all terminals, any passenger checking in luggage at Madrid during those windows can be affected.

The ministry's page does not say whether flights will be delayed or cancelled, nor how checked baggage will be handled during the stoppage windows. Passengers flying through Madrid on the affected days should check their flight with their airline and allow extra time if they are checking in luggage.