A strike has been called by workers of Red Handling, the company responsible for baggage handling and check-in operations for airlines TAP, Norwegian, Delta, and Air Peace.
TAP, when contacted, declined to comment on the potential impact this strike could have on the national airline’s operations.
Red Handling employees cite several issues, including irregularities or the absence of contributions to the private pension fund and delayed salary payments.
A union representative stated today that an offer was rejected on Wednesday, indicating that the strike is likely to proceed unless negotiations resume in the coming hours.
The Unite union anticipates delays, cancellations, long queues at check-in, and luggage delivery delays for hundreds of flights, given that the company handles approximately 50 flights daily.
The situation is expected to be exacerbated by the fact that Friday and Monday are national holidays in the United Kingdom, making this a popular time for international travel.
Gatwick Airport is the second largest airport in London, behind Heathrow, having handled 43.2 million passengers in 2024.
Apart from TAP, Easyjet, British Airways, and Wizz also operate flights from Gatwick to Lisbon, Porto, and Faro, but they are unlikely to be affected by the strike as they use a different ground handling company.
