The Unión Sindical de Controladores Aéreos (USCA) and CCOO have formally announced an indefinite strike set to commence on April 17, 2026. This industrial action targets Saerco, the private air navigation service provider, aiming to highlight issues such as staff shortages, the decline in working conditions, and their direct impact on operational safety.
According to information from Saerco sources, the strike will affect controllers in towers managed by the company. The impacted airports include Jerez, Seville, Cuatro Vientos (Madrid), Vigo (Pontevedra), A Coruña, La Palma, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura (Canary Islands).
Aeronautical safety cannot be sustained by a workforce subjected to fatigue, stress, and permanent uncertainty.
The union organizations, with USCA being the majority union at Saerco, emphasize that the lack of effective rest periods and continuous changes in work organization compromise the concentration essential for a critical service like air traffic control. Consequently, their demands include adequate staffing levels in all towers, respect for aeronautical rest periods, an end to “abusive” on-call activations, guaranteed vacations, and working conditions compatible with operational safety and professional dignity.
For USCA and CCOO, the current situation stems from a structural problem developed over “years of staff reduction, workload overload, organizational improvisation, and non-compliance regarding rest, work-life balance, and service planning.”
