Passengers are facing travel chaos at Italian airports as both easyJet and Aeroitalia pilots start their four-hour strike. While it may not seem like much can be done with a four-hour strike, it’s occurring during the peak travel times of the day.
For people holidaying in the Mediterranean country or even simply getting a connecting flight through, the possibility for disruption along your journey is very high. The impact of the strike is likely to ripple beyond Italian borders.
The budget airline flies to over 24 destinations in Italy, so disruption will likely affect thousands across Europe, and especially Brits as Italy is one of the top holiday destinations.
There is no confirmed number of affected flights, but given the number of airports serviced by EasyJet and Aeroitalia and the fact that not just one union but three are taking part in the strike, we’ll only know the extent of the travel chaos once the strike ends.
The unions that are taking part are the National Association of Professional Civil Aviation (ANPAC), the Italian Federation of Transport Workers (FILT), and the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL). The issues presented involve ongoing disputes over pay, working conditions and employment terms for staff in the European aviation industry.
However, two places spared from the chaos are Venice and Palermo, due to the difficulties faced in trying to leave the hard-to-reach destinations.
A spokesperson for easyJet said in a statement to Manchester Evening News: “EasyJet has been formally advised of a four-hour strike action by some Italian pilots’ unions on Monday 24 February 2025, from 12pm to 4pm local time. While we plan to operate our full flying programme, we advise customers travelling on 24 February to check the status of their flights on our Flight Tracker for the latest information.
“Although this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to all our customers for any inconvenience caused and would like to reassure them we are doing all possible to minimise any disruption as a result of the strike action.”
This isn’t the only disruption facing those heading to Italy for work or holidays, with more airline strikes planned later this week, with staff at Sicily’s Palermo airport and baggage handlers at Venice Marco Polo airport staging walkouts on Friday 28 February.
If the strike action affects your flight in any way, find out your rights to claim money back.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/easyjet-passengers-issued-urgent-travel-31075545
