Portugal's Ryanair cabin crews have launched the first of the recently announced prolonged strike waves. The low-cost carrier has warned passengers that few flights will be affected and the government has ordered employees to perform the necessary minimum services to avoid chaos, Reuters reported.

The protest in Portugal is currently scheduled to last five days and is part of other planned strikes by the airline staff in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Spain.

The new protests are rising a year after the strikes on wages and working conditions forced Europe's largest low-cost airline to cancel hundreds of flights.

Ryanair said that a small number of flights from Portuguese airports could be affected by minimal changes to the timetables and that all passengers will be notified. There are currently no information on delays or canceled flights to Lisbon, Porto and Faro