In short: we know of 8 upcoming strikes affecting air travel in Italy (see below). Flights departing 07:00–10:00 and 18:00–21:00 are guaranteed on strike days, and there are strike-free periods such as 18 December – 7 January. ENAV controller, airport and general strikes usually give no compensation; strikes by the airline’s own crew usually give €250–€600. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Strikes in Italy
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Friday, 20 November 2026 · all day
nationwide
general strike (CGIL), also affecting air transport announced
In Italy, flights departing between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 are guaranteed even during a strike.
General strike: usually an extraordinary circumstance for the airline – care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
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Saturday, 21 November 2026 · 13:00–17:00
nationwide
ENAV air traffic controllers (FILT-CGIL, UGL-TA) announced
The biggest risk on this list for international flights: Italian air traffic control also handles flights that only cross Italian airspace. During the similar four-hour strike on 30 September, ITA Airways cancelled around 29% of its flights for the day.
Air traffic control: usually an extraordinary circumstance – no compensation, but care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
Sources: The Local Italy (21 Oct 2026), Missionline (26 Oct 2026)
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Sunday, 22 November 2026 · 24 hours
Milan Malpensa, Venice
ENAV controllers at Malpensa (Fast-Confsal); Sicuritalia IVRI security staff at Venice Marco Polo (Fisascat-Cisl) announced
Two local strikes on the same day.
Air traffic control: usually an extraordinary circumstance – no compensation, but care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
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Sunday, 22 November 2026 · 24 hours
Pisa and Florence
Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta staff (USB Lavoro Privato) announced
Airport and ground-handling staff at both Tuscan airports; check-in, baggage and turnaround delays are possible.
Airport, security or ground-handling staff: usually an extraordinary circumstance – care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
Sources: SicurAUTO.it (6 Nov 2026)
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Friday, 4 December 2026
nationwide
general strike (CUB, SGB, SI-COBAS and others) announced
Air transport is also affected; the exact hours are not yet known.
General strike: usually an extraordinary circumstance for the airline – care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
Sources: Scioperi Italia, Money.it (22 Oct 2026)
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Monday, 14 December 2026 · 24 hours
Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino
ground handling (Aviation Services, FAST-Confsal) announced
Delays and cancellations are possible on flights to and from Rome.
Airport, security or ground-handling staff: usually an extraordinary circumstance – care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
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Tuesday, 15 December 2026 · 24 hours
Bologna
ENAV air traffic controllers (UILT-UIL) announced
Local air traffic control strike.
Air traffic control: usually an extraordinary circumstance – no compensation, but care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
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Wednesday, 16 December 2026 · 11:00–15:00
Bologna
La Lucente cleaning contractor staff (FILCAMS-CGIL, UILT-UIL) announced
Four-hour strike by the airport’s cleaning contractor; little effect on flights is expected.
Airport, security or ground-handling staff: usually an extraordinary circumstance – care and re-routing or a refund are still owed.
Strike-free periods for air transport: 30 October 2026 – 5 November 2026 and 18 December 2026 – 7 January 2027 (ENAC).
Recent and called-off strikes
- Friday, 6 November 2026 (13:00–17:00) – Bari: ENAV air traffic controllers (Bari airport, Fast-Confsal). (Missionline (26 Oct 2026))
- Friday, 16 October 2026 (24 hours) – easyJet Italian bases: easyJet flight crew based in Italy (USB Lavoro Privato). (SicurAUTO.it (Oct 2026))
- Wednesday, 30 September 2026 (13:00–17:00) – nationwide: ENAV and Techno Sky air traffic control staff. (Il Sole 24 Ore (29 Sep 2026))
Who goes on strike in Italy
ENAV air traffic controllers
ENAV is Italy’s air navigation service provider; Techno Sky, its subsidiary, maintains the equipment. Controller strikes are called either nationally – usually four hours, from 13:00 to 17:00 – or at a single airport or control centre, often for 24 hours. A national ENAV strike is the Italian strike with the widest effect: on 30 September 2026, during a four-hour national stoppage, ITA Airways cancelled around 29% of its flights for the day. Under Italy’s strike rules, controllers must keep handling flights that only cross Italian airspace, so overflights are largely protected – but flights to and from Italian airports are not.
Airport, handling and security staff
Many Italian strikes are local: ground handlers (for example Aviation Services at Rome), airport operator staff (such as Toscana Aeroporti at Pisa and Florence), security screening contractors (such as Sicuritalia at Venice) or cleaning contractors. These rarely cancel many flights but can cause long queues and baggage delays at the airport concerned.
Airline crews
Pilots and cabin crew at Italian bases of airlines such as easyJet, and at ITA Airways, strike from time to time – easyJet’s Italy-based crew held a 24-hour strike on 16 October 2026. This is the type of strike that usually gives you a right to compensation.
General strikes
National general strikes called by confederations such as CGIL, or by smaller “base” unions (CUB, SGB, SI-COBAS and others), usually include air transport. Their effect on flights varies a lot, because participation differs between airports and companies.
Guaranteed flights and strike-free periods
Italy treats air transport as an essential public service. Under Law 146/1990 and the rules for the air transport sector adopted by the Commissione di garanzia (the strike guarantee commission), strikes are tightly regulated:
- Guaranteed time bands. All scheduled departures between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 must operate, together with international arrivals within half an hour after those bands.
- Other guaranteed flights. Outside the bands, one intercontinental departure per IATA area, one daily link to the islands and some previously authorised charters are protected. ENAC publishes the list of guaranteed flights before each strike.
- Air traffic control. Controllers must still handle overflights, state, emergency and humanitarian flights, all incoming intercontinental flights and half of outgoing intercontinental flights.
- Length. The first strike in a dispute may last up to 4 hours; later ones up to a full day.
- Strike-free periods (franchigie). No air transport strikes from 18 December to 7 January, 24 April to 2 May, 27 June to 4 July, 27 July to 5 September and 30 October to 5 November, from the Thursday before to the Thursday after Easter, and around elections.
- Notice. At least 10 days’ notice is required for strikes in essential public services.
In practice this means that if your flight is in a guaranteed band it should operate, while flights in the middle of the day on a strike day are most at risk.
Where Italian strikes are announced
- Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport strike register (scioperi.mit.gov.it) – the official list of announced and withdrawn transport strikes, filterable by sector (“Aereo”).
- Commissione di garanzia – the commission that checks whether strikes comply with the rules and can ask unions to postpone them.
- ENAC – publishes the guaranteed-flight lists and the strike-free periods.
- Your airline and airport – the final word on whether your flight operates.
Italian strikes are frequently postponed, shortened or withdrawn after talks, sometimes a day or two before. We update the list above, but always check your airline’s notices.
Your rights during an Italian strike
EU261 covers flights departing from Italy (any airline), and flights arriving in Italy on an EU airline. If you fly from the UK to Italy, UK261 covers your outbound flight. The question that decides compensation is whose staff were on strike:
| Who is on strike | Compensation | Care and refund or re-routing |
|---|---|---|
| ENAV / Techno Sky controllers | Usually not due – extraordinary circumstance | Always owed |
| Airport, handling, security or cleaning staff | Usually not due | Always owed |
| General strike | Usually not due | Always owed |
| The airline’s own pilots or cabin crew | Usually due: €250 / €400 / €600 | Always owed |
The Court of Justice of the EU decided in C-28/20 (Airhelp v SAS, 2021) that a strike by an airline’s own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance, even when it is called by a union and announced in advance – as Italian strikes always are. For strikes by outside parties, the airline still has to show that the strike caused your disruption and that it took reasonable measures. Read more in our guide to strikes and extraordinary circumstances.
Whatever the cause, if your flight is cancelled the airline must offer a refund or re-routing, and provide meals, refreshments and, if needed, a hotel while you wait. Keep receipts for anything you pay for yourself.
Flight cancelled by a strike in Italy? Check if you are owed compensation
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Strike days at Italy’s airports since 2024
EUROCONTROL attributes every arrival flow restriction to a cause. These are the days on which restrictions at Italy’s airports were put down to industrial action, from January 2024 to 30 September 2026 – 6 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2026.
| Date | ATC strike delay (min) | Other strike delay (min) | Airports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2026 | 307 | – | BLQ |
| 5 July 2026 | 748 | – | MXP |
| 10 April 2026 | 2,565 | – | MXP, CTA, NAP, VCE, BLQ, TSF |
| 17 December 2025 | 252 | – | FCO |
| 20 June 2025 | – | 202 | LIN |
| 10 January 2025 | – | 1,368 | LIN |
| 15 December 2024 | 776 | – | MXP |
| 29 November 2024 | 2,169 | – | MXP, BGY |
| 11 October 2024 | 286 | – | PMO |
| 21 July 2024 | 791 | – | BGY |
| 5 July 2024 | 1,443 | – | VCE |
| 24 January 2024 | 112 | – | BLQ |
Only restrictions on arriving flights at the airports themselves are counted; strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere (for example in France, affecting overflights) and by airline staff do not appear here. A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff is usually an extraordinary circumstance; a strike by the airline’s own staff is not. Source: EUROCONTROL. Check a specific day: delay cause checker.
Frequently asked questions
Which flights still operate during an Italian air strike?
All scheduled departures between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 must operate, plus a short list of other protected flights published by ENAC (the Italian civil aviation authority), such as one daily link to the islands and some intercontinental departures. Outside those bands your flight may be cancelled.
Are there periods when strikes are not allowed in Italy?
Yes. Air transport strikes are not allowed in fixed holiday periods, including 18 December to 7 January, 27 July to 5 September, 30 October to 5 November, the Easter period and around elections. The full list is on ENAC’s website.
Do I get compensation if ENAV air traffic controllers strike?
Usually not. An air traffic control strike is outside the airline’s control and normally counts as an extraordinary circumstance. You are still entitled to a refund or re-routing and to care while you wait.
What about a strike by easyJet or ITA Airways crew in Italy?
A strike by the airline’s own pilots or cabin crew is not an extraordinary circumstance (CJEU, C-28/20). If your flight was cancelled at short notice or arrived 3 or more hours late, you can usually claim €250–€600 under EU261.
How far ahead are Italian strikes announced?
Italian law requires at least 10 days’ notice for strikes in essential public services, which include air transport. Strikes are listed in the official register of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, so they are usually known two weeks or more in advance – but they are often postponed or withdrawn.
Strike dates are taken from the Italian strike register, ENAC notices and press reports; each entry lists its sources. Italian strikes are often withdrawn or postponed – always check with your airline. Last checked: 10 November 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Sources
- Scioperi nel trasporto aereo – prestazioni minime garantite (guaranteed services and strike-free periods) – ENAC
- Strike register (scioperi) – Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport – MIT
- ENAV strike notice, 30 September 2026, 13:00–17:00 – ENAC
- Air traffic controllers strike on 30 September: ITA Airways cancels 29% of flights (29 September 2026) – Il Sole 24 Ore
- Sciopero trasporti novembre 2026: gli stop di bus, treni e aerei (updated 6 November 2026) – SicurAUTO.it
- Sciopero aerei dicembre 2026 – Scioperi Italia
- Judgment C-28/20 Airhelp v SAS (23 March 2021) – Court of Justice of the EU
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text – EUR-Lex
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