Updated 6 October 2026 at 01:25.
easyJet’s Portugal-based cabin crew strike, running from 2 to 6 October, is still causing major disruption at Lisbon, Porto and Faro. The operational picture is now clearer: easyJet says it originally scheduled 786 flights during the strike period, reduced that programme to 442 after pre-emptive cancellations, and now expects to operate 428 of them. SNPVAC, meanwhile, says 343 flights were removed before the strike began and a further 26 have been cancelled since 2 October, bringing the union’s total to 369 cancellations as of 5 October.
Those figures measure different parts of the operation. The union focuses on flights removed from the schedule and additional cancellations after the strike started. easyJet focuses on the programme left after those adjustments and on the flights it expects actually to operate. Understanding that distinction is essential for passengers and avoids treating every figure as if it described the same denominator.
Severe disruption, but not a shutdown of Portugal operations
Before the walkout began, estimates of around 500 exposed flights circulated widely, and interim reporting referred to 443 cancellations. The figures released on 5 October provide a more precise picture. easyJet says 786 flights had originally been scheduled to and from Portugal during the strike period. After pre-emptive reductions, 442 remained in the programme, and the airline expects to operate 428.
SNPVAC gives a different breakdown. According to the union, 343 flights were cancelled before the action began and another 26 have been cancelled since 2 October. That produces a total of 369 cancellations on the union’s count. SNPVAC also says participation among the cabin crew called to strike remains at 100%. That participation figure is a union claim rather than an independently verified measurement.
The action involves Portugal-based cabin crew, principally at Lisbon, Porto and Faro. It does not mean that every easyJet service touching Portugal has stopped. Some flights are protected by minimum-service obligations, while others can be operated by aircraft and crews based elsewhere in Europe.
Minimum services and crews from other bases
Portugal’s DGERT imposed minimum-service requirements for the 2 to 6 October strike. These include protected rotations to Madeira and selected international links, including services involving Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Paris Orly, London and Luxembourg. Minimum-service rules require a defined level of operation, but they do not guarantee that every individual booking on those routes will operate.
easyJet says that these protections, combined with aircraft and crews from other European bases, allow it to keep a substantial part of the network running. SNPVAC disputes some of those practices and says eight flights outside the minimum-service framework were operated using crew and managers from foreign bases. The union says it has reported the matter to Portugal’s labour inspectorate. easyJet says its operation complies with applicable laws and regulations. These remain competing positions in an active labour dispute, not a final legal finding.
SNPVAC has also warned that the operational effects could remain visible until Friday after the strike formally ends, because of difficulties restoring aircraft and crew rotations. That forecast will need to be tested against the schedules actually published by the airline.
What passengers should check
For travellers, the overall cancellation total is less important than the status of the booked flight. easyJet advises passengers to use its Flight Tracker or app before leaving for the airport because last-minute changes remain possible.
Where a flight is cancelled, European passenger-rights rules may provide a choice between refund and rerouting, together with care where the conditions are met. Fixed compensation is a separate question and depends on the specific cause and circumstances of the disruption.
The labour dispute will also continue beyond October. A second easyJet Portugal cabin-crew strike is already scheduled for 19 to 23 December 2026, with minimum-service obligations also in place for that period.
The key lesson from the October action is that one headline cancellation figure is not enough to describe the operation. The most useful picture now separates the original 786-flight schedule, the pre-emptive cuts, the additional cancellations and the 428 flights easyJet says it expects to operate. That distinction is more informative than describing Portugal as either fully operational or effectively shut down.
Sources
DGERT ; SNPVAC ; easyJet ; Lusa ; ECO. Information checked through 5 October 2026.
Related: Canceled or delayed flight: your EU rights in 2026.
Leave a Reply