London Gatwick Airport strikes over May half-term set to cause disruption for thousands of holiday travellers

Passengers flying from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) face major disruption this May and June, as workers from two key service providers, Red Handling and Red Line Oil Services, stage industrial action over pay and conditions. The strikes are timed to coincide with the May half-term holidays in England and Wales, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Details on London Gatwick Airport strike 

Red Line Oil Services, responsible for aircraft refuelling, will strike from 16 to 20 May and again from 23 to 27 May. Red Handling, which provides baggage handling, check-in, and flight dispatch services, plans 24-hour walkouts on 18 May, 25 May, and 1 June. While initially due to start on 11 May, Red Handling’s action was temporarily paused to allow further talks, but no agreement has been reached.

The coordinated walkouts are expected to affect hundreds of thousands of passengers, with the second wave of Red Line’s strike coinciding with the peak school holiday exodus. Unite the Union has warned that over 70% of easyJet’s operations at Gatwick could be impacted. The airline, which has already operated more than 19,000 flights from the airport this year, is likely to feel the greatest effect. Gatwick is also a major hub for Ryanair, British Airways, TUI, Vueling, and Wizz Air.

Despite the warning, both easyJet and Ryanair have said they do not anticipate significant disruption, citing contingency plans. However, delays, cancellations, and rebookings remain a real possibility as both ground and refuelling services come under pressure.

Travel rights company AirHelp has cautioned passengers to prepare for disruption. CEO Tomasz Pawliszyn said:
“This is an unfortunate storm of overlapping industrial action at one of the UK’s busiest airports, right at the start of the summer travel season. With both refuelling and ground operations under pressure, we are likely to see large-scale cancellations, long delays, and re-bookings.”

Under UK and EU passenger rights law, compensation is not typically owed when strikes involve airport contractors rather than airline staff. If passengers are informed more than 14 days before departure, no compensation is due. 

Passengers are advised to monitor their airline’s updates closely and allow extra time when travelling during the strike periods.

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