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Local Italy
26-05-2025
- Local Italy
KEY DATES: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in June 2025
Transport strikes are a regular occurrence in Italy, with at least two or three nationwide walkouts and several regional protests called each month. Conveniently though, most strikes are planned and announced well in advance, with the Italian Transport Ministry listing them on a handy online calendar (available in Italian). This usually gives commuters and international visitors some time to arrange alternative means of transportation or, when possible, reschedule their journeys. Here's a look at the major walkouts that you should know about if you're travelling to, from or across Italy in the coming weeks. June 13th – Air transport strikes Passengers flying to, from or across Italy may face delays or cancellations on Friday, June 13th due to multiple air transport strikes. Baggage handlers at airports around the country plan to strike for 24 hours on June 13th, while ground staff including security officers, ground equipment operators and customer service agents plan to walk out from 1pm to 5pm. On the same date, drivers at Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa are expected to strike from midnight to 11.59pm. The above protests may result in flight delays or cancellations at multiple airports. Ground operations including passenger check-in and baggage drop-off or collection services may also be affected. Under Italian air transport laws, flights due to depart between 6am and 9am and between 6pm and 9pm are protected from strike action and should go ahead as planned on June 13th. June 15th-16th – Regional rail strike in Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta Train passengers in the northwestern Italian regions of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta could experience disruption in mid-June as staff at Trenitalia plan to strike from 3am on Sunday, June 15th to 2am on Monday, June 16th. The walkout is expected to affect regional and commuter routes, but shouldn't have an impact on interregional and long-distance journeys. Rail operators in Italy aren't required to provide a minimum level of service during strikes held on Saturdays or Sundays. Trenitalia hasn't yet said whether or not it intends to guarantee the operation of essential rail services during the strike. June 16th-17th – Regional rail strike in Lombardy Staff at Trenord, which operates a number of routes in the northern Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan's Malpensa Airport, plan to strike from 3am on Monday, June 16th to 2am on Tuesday, June 17th. Regional, suburban and airport services run by Trenord may experience delays or cancellations over the entire duration of the strike. Under Italian transport laws, rail operators must provide a minimum level of service for passengers during strikes held on weekdays. Trenord usually guarantees the operation of several essential services over the following two time slots: between 6am and 9am, and between 6pm and 9pm. Further details on guaranteed journeys are expected to become available on Trenord's website closer to the walkout. June 19th-20th – 24-hour nationwide transport strike Rail and local public transport services around Italy are set to be hit by a 24-hour general strike on Thursday, June 19th and Friday, June 20th. The walkout, which is backed by three of Italy's major trade unions (CUB, SGB and USB), is expected to affect private and public rail operators between 9pm on Thursday and 9pm on Friday, according to Italy's transport ministry. Bus, tram, metro and cableway lines around the country are also expected to be affected, though trade unions haven't yet announced when exactly the local public transport strike will start and end. Air travel has been excluded from the general strike, meaning flights to and from Italy should run as planned on both days. Details on guaranteed rail and public transport services are expected to become available closer to the date of the walkout. How bad are strikes in Italy? Transport strikes are frequent in Italy, but not all cause major disruption for passengers. The severity of disruption caused by any walkout in the country largely depends on how many workers choose to participate in it. Nationwide protests backed by one or more major trade unions tend to have a bigger impact, as they represent more workers than smaller regional unions. Even in the case of highly disruptive strikes though, transport operators are legally required to guarantee some essential services at peak travel times. What to do if your flight is cancelled If you're flying to, from or within the EU, you have the right to either a refund or rebooking, and the airline must always offer you the choice. If you're booked onto a later flight and have to wait more than two hours, you're entitled to assistance such as food and drink. And in the case of cancellations at short notice, you may also be able to claim compensation. Find full details here. What to do if your train is cancelled If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are given the option to travel on an equivalent service or ask for a full refund. Private long-distance operator Italo and state-owned Trenitalia issue refunds automatically within 30 days of the cancelled trip.
Local Italy
24-04-2025
- Local Italy
KEY DATES: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in May 2025
Transport strikes are something of a regular occurrence in Italy, with at least two or three nationwide walkouts called each month. Conveniently though, most protests are planned and announced well in advance, with the Italian Transport Ministry listing them on a handy online calendar (available in Italian). This usually gives commuters and international visitors some time to arrange alternative methods of transportation or, when possible, reschedule their journeys. Here's a look at the major walkouts that you should know about if you're travelling to, from or across Italy in May. May 5th and 6th - National rail strikes Monday, May 5th is set to mark the beginning of one of the month's major transport strikes, though the bulk of the disruption is expected on May 6th. Starting at 9pm on May 5th and running until 8.59pm on May 6th, union USB Lavoro Privato is expected to launch a 24-hour strike targeting the national rail sector. The walkout is due to overlap with an eight-hour national train strike on Tuesday, May 6th, with staff from key operators including Trenitalia, Trenord and the FS Group set to walk off the job from 9am to 5pm. You can find the Trenitalia services guaranteed in the event of a strike here. May 9th – Nationwide air transport strike Air travellers should prepare for delays on May 9th, when a four-hour nationwide strike is set to hit the aviation sector, led by union CUB. From 1pm to 5pm, staff working in airlines, airports and related services are expected to stop work. This includes airline employees and ground handling crews at airports across the country. Specifically, workers at Swissport Italia, which provides check-in, boarding and lost-and-found services at Milan Linate airport, as well as staff of Aviation Services at Venice Marco Polo airport, are expected to participate. Flight schedules may be disrupted, and passengers are advised to check with their airlines before heading to the airport. May 27th – Regional train strike Staff of Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in Lombardy, including connections to and from Milan's Malpensa Airport, are set to strike for 23 hours on May 27th into May 28th. The walkout, called by the Orsa Ferrovie rail workers' union, is scheduled to start at 3am on Tuesday, May 27th and end at 2am on Wednesday, May 28th. Trenord guarantees minimum train services from 6am-9am and 6pm-9pm on weekdays. How bad are strikes in Italy? Transport strikes in Italy are frequent, but not all of them cause major disruption for passengers. The severity of disruption caused by any walkout in the country largely depends on how many workers choose to participate in it. Generally speaking, nationwide protests backed by one or more major trade unions tend to have a bigger impact, as they represent more workers than smaller regional unions. Even in the case of highly disruptive strikes though, transport operators are legally required to guarantee some essential services at peak travel times. What to do if your flight is cancelled If you're flying to, from or within the EU, you have the right to either a refund or rebooking, and the airline must always offer you the choice. If you're booked onto a later flight and have to wait for more than two hours, you're entitled to assistance such as food and drink. And in the case of cancellations at short notice you may also be able to claim compensation. Find full details here. What to do if your train is cancelled If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally given the option to travel on an equivalent service or ask for a full refund. Private long-distance operator Italo and state-owned Trenitalia issue refunds automatically within 30 days of the cancelled trip.
