How will Italy's rail and airport strikes affect travel this week?
Travel to, from and within Italy is set to be disrupted by two nationwide transport strikes this week, just a day apart.
Italy's transport sector is due to be hit by a double-whammy of strikes this week: a national rail strike on Thursday, June 13th, followed by an air transport strike on Saturday, July 15th.
The strikes come at a time when Italy's post-Covid tourist numbers are booming, and are expected to cause widespread disruption to travellers across the country.
CALENDAR: The Italian transport strikes to expect in summer 2023
Rail worker unions say they want more sociable working hours, a functioning recruitment plan, and a reduction in workload, while airport handling staff want the renewal of an employment contract that expired six year ago.
Here's what we know about the impact the walkouts will have on transport services this week.
National rail strike: Thursday July 13th
Workers for Italy's national rail company Trenitalia and private operator Italo will strike from 3am on Thursday to 2am on Friday.
Passengers wanting to travel in this period should be prepared for cancellations and significant delays to their journey, which could extend beyond the parameters of the strike itself.
Some 'essential' services are, however, guaranteed to go ahead in the event of a strike.
This includes also regional train services scheduled for between 6-9am and 6-9pm on weekdays.
Read more about what to expect from Thursday's rail strike in our update here.
What can travellers expect from Italy's national rail strike on July 13th? Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP.
National air transport strike: Saturday July 15th
Airport control and handling staff at airports across Italy will strike throughout the day on Saturday, July 15th, with check-in and baggage handling services expected to be cancelled or severely disrupted from 10am until 6pm.
Staff for the Spanish airline Vueling will join the airport workers in striking over the same eight-hour window.
Meanwhile workers for the low-cost airline Malta Air, a joint venture between the Maltese government and the budget Irish carrier Ryanair, are scheduled to walk out between 12pm and 4pm on the same day.
READ ALSO: Should you travel in Italy when there’s a strike on?
At the time of writing, it was not clear how many workers would participate in the strike and the extent of the disruption.
Flights scheduled to depart between 7-10am and 6-9pm are protected from strikes and should go ahead as usual.
Read more about what to expect from Saturday's airport strike in our update here.
Keep up with the latest updates in The Local's strike news section.
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Italy's transport sector is due to be hit by a double-whammy of strikes this week: a national rail strike on Thursday, June 13th, followed by an air transport strike on Saturday, July 15th.
The strikes come at a time when Italy's post-Covid tourist numbers are booming, and are expected to cause widespread disruption to travellers across the country.
CALENDAR: The Italian transport strikes to expect in summer 2023
Rail worker unions say they want more sociable working hours, a functioning recruitment plan, and a reduction in workload, while airport handling staff want the renewal of an employment contract that expired six year ago.
Here's what we know about the impact the walkouts will have on transport services this week.
National rail strike: Thursday July 13th
Workers for Italy's national rail company Trenitalia and private operator Italo will strike from 3am on Thursday to 2am on Friday.
Passengers wanting to travel in this period should be prepared for cancellations and significant delays to their journey, which could extend beyond the parameters of the strike itself.
Some 'essential' services are, however, guaranteed to go ahead in the event of a strike.
This includes also regional train services scheduled for between 6-9am and 6-9pm on weekdays.
Read more about what to expect from Thursday's rail strike in our update here.
National air transport strike: Saturday July 15th
Airport control and handling staff at airports across Italy will strike throughout the day on Saturday, July 15th, with check-in and baggage handling services expected to be cancelled or severely disrupted from 10am until 6pm.
Staff for the Spanish airline Vueling will join the airport workers in striking over the same eight-hour window.
Meanwhile workers for the low-cost airline Malta Air, a joint venture between the Maltese government and the budget Irish carrier Ryanair, are scheduled to walk out between 12pm and 4pm on the same day.
READ ALSO: Should you travel in Italy when there’s a strike on?
At the time of writing, it was not clear how many workers would participate in the strike and the extent of the disruption.
Flights scheduled to depart between 7-10am and 6-9pm are protected from strikes and should go ahead as usual.
Read more about what to expect from Saturday's airport strike in our update here.
Keep up with the latest updates in The Local's strike news section.
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