Ryanair does not expect Spanish baggage handler stoppages to disrupt operations
has played down the prospect of any significant disruption to its schedule towards the end of next week when a series of stoppages by its baggage handling partner are planned at airports across
Spain
.
The General Union of Workers (UGT) in Spain has called a series of strikes at Azul Handling, which falls under the Ryanair umbrella, over what is claims is 'continuous precariousness' and 'constant breaches' of labour rights.
The union represents about 20 per cent of the staff at the baggage handling operator.
While the stoppages have been timed for the business travel periods of the week and could lead to significant delays in baggage being processed, Ryanair said it does not anticipate any major disruption in the days ahead at least in part as a result of legislation in Spain that protects essential services from total shutdowns.
READ MORE
'Due to Spain's minimum service legislation during peak summer months, we do not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these strikes by the UGT union, who represent less than 20 per cent of Azul staff in our third-party handler in Spain,' a spokeswoman said.
[
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary takes aim at governments, rivals and unions
Opens in new window
]
The strike action is set to take place next Friday, Saturday and Sunday over three time slots, with the first stoppages planned for a four hour period from 5am to 9am when the airports in question are likely to be at their busiest.
Subsequent stoppages are planned from midday to 3pm and from 9pm to midnight on each of the three days.
According to the union, the stoppages will then continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of the year.
Airports likely to be affected include most of the key holiday destinations for Irish travellers, including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago de Compostela.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
11 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Crash: Brian Cowen and the unravelling of Ireland
Brian Cowen became Taoiseach in 2008, just as Ireland's economy was going into free-fall. For the next three years he struggled to lead the country through some of its darkest days, with public opinion souring against him and Fianna Fáil . In a new three-part series from The Irish Times Inside Politics podcast, Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy look back at how Cowen became Taoiseach and his short, turbulent time in power. The podcast follows his early promise as the heir to an Offaly Fianna Fáil dynasty, through his rise to power and then his doomed attempts to fix the crisis confronting the Irish banking system and the chaotic end of his political career. Part one is available now. Parts two and three will be published on Wednesday August 13th and Monday August 18th.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Company behind Cuisine de France sees profits fall 15.5% as consumers seek out more value
Profits at Aryzta fell by 15.5 per cent to €49.1 million in the first half of the year as more cost-conscious consumers and upward inflationary pressures tightened margins for the Swiss-Irish maker of par-baked pastries and breads. The group, which owns the Cuisine de France brand here and supplies the likes of McDonald's and Subway, described its profitability performance as 'resilient'. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 0.5 per cent to €150.5 million, while EBITDA margin decreased by 0.3 per cent to 13.9 per cent. 'The decline in margin reflects the challenging market environment as well as the impact from delays in the finalisation of some tender agreements in the period,' the group told investors. READ MORE 'This is the result of the challenges faced from the significant price volatility in some key raw materials such as butter, eggs and cocoa, as well as increased labour costs across our geographies.' Aryzta said its focus remains on delivering continued business performance and efficiency improvements. The group is targeting cost reductions in the range of €40-€60 million from operations, procurement and structural costs initiatives between now and 2028. The plan also involves incremental ramp-up costs of €20-€30 million for the further roll-out of the IT infrastructure to secure the gross cost savings, resulting in a net projected saving of €20-€30 million. Innovation accounted for about 18 per cent of revenue in the first half. Aryzta chief executive Michael Schai said the company delivered a 'solid' first half year performance in a 'challenging market environment' marked by subdued consumer sentiment. 'We achieved organic growth of 2.8 per cent, underpinned by a healthy 2.1 per cent volume growth, which resulted in further market share gains,' he said. 'We remain committed to driving performance through a focus on organic growth, innovation, process automation and strict cost discipline. 'We continue to target our 2025 full year guidance for low to mid-single digit organic growth and improved performance across key financial metrics.' Solid organic growth helped generate revenue of €1.1 billion, which was up 3 per cent on the year before, with organic growth of 2.8 per cent. Total net debt including hybrid funding declined to €886 million compared to €927 million at June 2024 and €894 million at December 2024. The company generated free cash flow of €29.4 million, which was below the prior period to June 2024. The group's performance in Europe was described as 'solid' in most markets with good support from positive volume and pricing. EBITDA in the region reached €127.4 million, representing a margin of 13.2 per cent and a decrease of 0.4 per cent on the year before. Its activity in the rest of world significantly improved its performance over the period, achieving an EBITDA of €23.1 million, corresponding to a margin of 19.6 per cent, which was 0.9 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
State's €275m capital spending plan could unleash private sector co-investment and boost economic activity
The recent announcement of the €275.4 billion National Development Plan represents far more than the largest capital investment programme in the history of the State . It presents an opportunity to renew our commitment to the uniquely Irish approach that has transformed Ireland from an agricultural economy into a global hub for innovation and investment: the partnership between public vision and private enterprise that has served us well for nearly a century to deliver transformational outcomes. The Government's decision to publish this ambitious plan demonstrates a clear recognition of the infrastructure and housing delivery challenges faced by the State, and a determination to address them through strategic, co-ordinated action. At Fine Grain Property, a long-term investor and operator in Irish commercial real estate, we welcome this renewed commitment to co-ordinated delivery, regional investment, and unlocking private-sector capability. Ireland's future success depends not just on spending, but on smart investment that multiplies impact. READ MORE Looking towards the future we see that this plan has the positive potential to unleash private-sector co-investment, ingenuity and economic activity. When government spending acts as a strategic catalyst rather than a substitute for private investment, it can generate remarkable multiplier effects that amplify economic impact far beyond the initial expenditure. This 'crowding-in' effect occurs when government investment creates foundational conditions – whether through transport links, digital infrastructure or regulatory frameworks – that make private-sector projects viable and attractive, thereby unlocking capital that would otherwise remain dormant. This is one of the key objectives of our co-investor, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, which in its 10-year history has achieved a multiplier estimated at 1.4 times on its investment, attracting €12.6 billion in private-sector investment to Ireland and creating 28,000 jobs. This virtuous cycle depends entirely on co-ordinated, strategic government action that spans departments and agencies. International research shows that when well-intentioned governance processes or government bodies operate in isolation, they risk creating the opposite effect: competing with the private sector, delaying delivery of projects and ultimately crowding out private investment by creating regulatory uncertainty and administrative burden. [ National Development Plan main points: how much is being spent and what are the big winners? Opens in new window ] As chief executive of Fine Grain Property, I have witnessed first hand how Ireland's collaborative approach to development creates exceptional outcomes for foreign direct investors. Since we started to invest in Ireland at a time when there was a critical shortage of office investment in 2015, our company has invested over €350 million across 16 locations, providing workplace communities for more than 65 multinational and domestic clients. In addition to great workplaces, world-class employees require excellent housing, and this is often quoted by our clients as the key constraint to their future growth plans. Alongside its ambitious direct housing investments, the NDP has the potential to unlock the expertise, speed to market and quality of private developers such as Glenveagh. When the State invests in water infrastructure, transport links and energy networks alongside effective planning, they unleash massive pent-up investment in housing, making Ireland an irresistible proposition for global businesses, and most importantly, a great place to live and work. Ireland's approach to transformational development didn't emerge overnight, but it has arguably been stifled in recent years. Ireland's development history is rich with examples of how public, private collaboration drives national success: from Ardnacrusha's hydro scheme in the 1920s to the Shannon Free Zone, the IFSC, and most recently, the Wild Atlantic Way, which now generates €3 billion annually. Each success shared one thing: a public-private vision, executed with urgency and mutual respect. Yet in recent years, momentum has slowed. Governance mechanisms – while critical for transparency – can, if poorly designed, become barriers to delivery. Planning delays, procurement complexity, and fragmented responsibilities often deter the very private partners the state seeks to engage. [ National Development Plan shows the Government is about to bet big on capital expenditure Opens in new window ] The principle of good governance should never mean paralysis and when systems are designed to facilitate rather than frustrate, they build trust and speed. That's what international best practice teaches us – and it's where Ireland must go next. Australia's Infrastructure Australia provides independent, long-term planning horizons that depoliticise infrastructure decisions. Singapore's structured PPP framework delivers projects 15-20 per cent faster than traditional procurement. These models demonstrate that effective governance and rapid delivery are not mutually exclusive – they can be mutually reinforcing when properly designed. The NDP scale and scope demonstrate the Government's recognition that the Republic's continued competitiveness requires not just investment, but the institutional capacity and structures to bring the public and private sectors together to work alongside each other. The €24.3 billion allocation for transport, including support for MetroLink, and the €3.5 billion equity injection for ESB Networks and EirGrid show a sophisticated understanding of the interconnected nature of modern infrastructure. Housing cannot be delivered without water and energy connections; sustainable energy demands a robust grid; transport networks require integrated planning; economic development depends on all these elements working together. IDA Ireland's new five-year strategy, targeting 1,000 new investments worth €7 billion in R&D alone, specifically identifies the critical need for suitable property solutions to meet prospective FDI demand. The agency's commitment to delivering 550 regional investments aligns perfectly with Fine Grain Property's strategy – more than half of our locations are outside Dublin, supporting balanced national growth. Our investor base – comprising long-term strategic partners like the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and Grosvenor – shares a belief in Ireland's potential, provided we preserve our unique collaborative model. [ State investor pledges more than €160m to climate businesses Opens in new window ] Ireland's global success is powered not just by investment and infrastructure, but by its extraordinary diaspora network. Having spent more than 30 years in Asia before returning home, I've seen how this community opens doors – bringing not only capital, but cultural fluency, market insight and trusted relationships. Combined with Ireland's well-educated and innovative population, this global reach is a distinct competitive advantage. The NDP offers the resources to unlock our next phase of growth – and it's private partners who will multiply that impact. If we get this right, the next decade won't just address today's challenges – it will define a stronger, more resilient Ireland. The potential is there. The will is there. Now we must deliver – together. Colin MacDonald is chief executive of Fine Grain Property
