A threatened three-day strike by Spanish air traffic controllers is set to cause chaos for hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers.
The three-day walkout is expected to start on August 18 – the height of the summer season.
A strike over three days would affect two million airline passengers including an estimated 300,000 people flying to or from the UK.
A final decision on the timing of the walkout is to be taken in the next few days, according to media reports in Spain.
If the industrial action by 2,300 controllers goes ahead it will be the first time air traffic controllers in Spain have gone on strike.
Controllers have threatened the strike in protest at moves by prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to alter their working conditions, The Guardian reported.
The Spanish government is likely to order air traffic controllers to maintain a “minimum” service. That has meant maintaining between 50% and 75% of traffic in recent rail strikes.