How will Italy's airport and airline strikes affect flights on Thursday?

Local Italy

09-07-2025

People flying to or from Italy could see their travel plans disrupted on Thursday, July 10th, due to multiple airport and airline staff strikes.
Italy-based pilots and cabin crew staff at British budget carrier EasyJet planned to strike for 24 hours on Thursday.
The protest was called by Italy's USB union after negotiations with the airline to raise wages and improve work conditions for both pilots and on-board staff failed earlier this year, according to Italian media reports.
Though the carrier hadn't made any official announcement regarding the walkout as of Wednesday afternoon, Italian media warned that both inbound and outbound flights may experience delays or cancellations due to the strike.
Media reports also advised passengers due to travel with EasyJet on Thursday to check the status of their flight with the airline before leaving for the airport.
Besides EasyJet staff, baggage handlers at airports around the country were also set to stage a 24-hour strike on Thursday.
This was expected to overlap with several smaller strikes.
Drivers at Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa planned to strike for the whole day on Thursday.
Protests by airport ground staff were also expected at Cagliari Elmas (from 1pm to 5pm) and Naples Capodichino (from 11am to 3pm).
Italy's flag carrier ITA Airways said in a statement on Tuesday that it had been forced to cancel 36 flights scheduled for Thursday due to the planned baggage handler strike.
Cancellations included 16 flights to Milan Linate and five flights to Rome Fiumicino. A full list of cancelled flights was published here.
Other ITA Airways cancellations couldn't be ruled out as the carrier advised anyone meant to be travelling with them on Thursday to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
The airline said that passengers affected by cancellations or changes to scheduled departure times would be able to rebook their journey free of charge by Wednesday, July 16th.
In the event of cancellations or delays of over five hours, passengers could also claim a full refund by the same deadline, it added.
Besides ITA, no other airline had announced flight cancellations as of Wednesday afternoon.
Which flights are guaranteed?
Flights scheduled to depart between 7am and 10am, and between 6pm and 9pm are protected from strike action in Italy and should therefore run as normal on Thursday, according to the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac).
Enac said that airlines will also guarantee the operation of several intercontinental flights, as well as a number of connections to and from Italy's major islands, Sicily and Sardinia.
You can find a full list of guaranteed flights on Thursday on Enac's website.
What to do if your flight is cancelled
If you're flying within the EU or from an EU country to a non-EU one, you may have the right to either a refund or rebooking under Europe's Air Passenger Rights.
This also applies to passengers travelling from non-EU countries to EU countries if the operating airline is licensed in the EU.
Find full details HERE.