Hundreds of flights to Italy are set to be cancelled ahead of the weekend, as Italian air traffic control strikes cause disruption for multiple airlines.
The strike is taking place on Friday, 21 October, with air traffic controllers well as ground handling staff walking out for 24 hours over pay and working conditions.
Multiple unions covering the transport sector voted for the strikes, with some of Italy’s public transport on the ground also affected.
Some local newspapers dubbed the date “black Friday” due to the mass travel disruption, with Il Giorno predicting that over 250,000 Italian passengers would have their journeys disrupted.
Which airlines and airports are affected?
Airlines affected include easyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, ITA Airways and British Airways. Journeys to all of Italy’s main destination airports, including Rome, Naples, Turin and Milan, are affected.
Ryanair confirmed that it had cancelled 600 flights ahead of the strikes, issuing a statement apologising to the hundreds of thousands of travellers affected.
The country’s national carrier ITA Airways released a statement on Tuesday saying it had cancelled hundreds of international and domestic flights on Friday, adding that most of the journeys affected are from Rome and Milan.
A full list of ITA’s advance cancellations can be found here. The airline said that customers will be offered free alternative flights on the following days, or a refund.
This morning, dozens of British Airways and easyJet flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick were cancelled, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
One ITA departure from London City was also axed, along with two BA departures from LCY to Florence and Milan.
Italy’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) said that a number of flights would be guaranteed to operate between 7-10am and 6-9pm, with the middle part of the day more heavily afflicted by cancellations.
What have airlines said?
Airlines are advising Italy-bound passengers to allow extra time for their journey and to check their flight status in advance.
“We have been informed of national strike action in Italy on Friday, October 21, which will affect air traffic control and ground handling services,” said easyJet in a statement.
“Like most airlines operating to and from Italy, we may see some disruption to our flying programme on this date.
“We advise customers travelling to, from or within Italy on Friday, October 21 to allow additional time to travel to…
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