Nearly 500 international flights could be cancelled today due to a 24 hour strike that is underway in Portugal to protest proposed austerity measures imposed by the Government.

Portugal’s public transport is also affected as workers on Lisbon’s metro system walked out on Wednesday evening, along with air traffic controllers.

easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and TAP Air Portugal flights have all been affected with mass cancellations with expected knock on effects tomorrow.

Passengers are being advised to check the status of their flights.

Mass industrial action in Portugal is very unusual and this is thought to be one of the biggest in the country’s history with over a million workers supporting the strike against proposed spending cuts across a range of public services. This would include scrapping holiday bonuses and extending the work day.