Spain reopens her airspace as all the controllers show up for work at the 1500hr shift

The controllers returned to their posts after the Government threatend them with criminal action. It is expected to take 24-48 hours for things to return to normal.

The introduction of a ‘State of Alarm’ and the threat of criminal prosecution of the Spanish Air Traffic Controllers by the Government have resulted in all the controllers arriving for work in the 1500hr Saturday afternoon shift.

AENA the Spanish Airports Authority has as a consequence re-opened Spanish air space, and flights are starting to get underway again.
Minister for Development, José Blanco, warned however that it will take between 24 and 48 hours for things to return to normal.

Spokesperson for the USCA Air Traffic Controllers Union on the Baleares, Javier Zanón, told El Mundo that the Guardia Civil had arrived ‘pistols in hand’ and ‘forced us to sit in front of the monitors’.

The cabinet held an emergency session on Saturday morning and decided to declare a ‘State of Alarm’, after an estimated 90% of air traffic controllers walked away from their posts from 5pm on Friday night.

The chaos was enormous, not least because it was the start of the longest bank holiday weekend of the year, and thousands of Spaniards were hoping to depart.

Spanish airports authority, AENA, had no choice but to close the airspace across practically all the country, given the shortage of working controllers.

The Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatreo, signed the order for the military to take over just after 11pm on Friday night, but it is obviously a very complicated procedure to implement.

The State of Alarm was signed on Saturday morning.

Deputy Prime Minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, apologised to the public on behalf of the cabinet for the inconvenience being suffered.

The controllers had been told they face prosecution if they do not return to work. They would be considered to have committed the crime of disobedience, as outlined in the Military Penal Code. Punishment is between two years four months, and six years in jail with the loss of their jobs.

Some airlines, such as Iberia and Ryanair had already decided to cancel all their flights for Saturday.

The Ministry for Development has opened a phone line for more information 902 404 704.

Travellers are also advised to check their flight number on the AENA website at www.aena.es before setting out for the airport.


The long running dispute with the controllers, who have seen their income cut by 40% and overtime cut, came after clarification from the Cabinet on Friday over the regulations which control their working hours. With the objective of avoiding ‘erroneous interpretations’ a maximum of 1,670 hours a year was ratified, but ‘non aeronautical work will not be counted in that number’. In other words the time granted for union business and any absence through incapacity, and other activities outside the control tower are not counted.

That brought the mass walk out of controllers from 5pm on Friday evening in a protest which was not supported by their USCA union.
Union CCOO went as far as to accuse the air traffic controllers of ‘holding the citizens hostage’ with their massive walk out.

Some passengers at Barajas Airport in Madrid were already on board their planes, waiting to take off, when they had to return to the terminal.

Passengers stuck at T4 in Madrid were reported to be chanting slogans against the controllers. Airlines started fleeting coaches to cover domestic routes. RENFE Spanish railways brought in extra carriages to try and meet the sudden demand for seats on what was already a busy Bank Holiday Weekend.

The peace may be a temporary one however, with both SEPLA the pilots’ union and AENA itself threatening strike action over the Christmas break, in disputes over rest periods and the Government’s decision to privatise 49% of the Spanish Airports Authority to raise funds to meet the deficit target.


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