Baggage and cargo handling staff at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo, Rome Fiumicino and Bologna Guglielmo Marconi are set to stage a four-hour strike, from 1pm to 5pm, on Friday.
The protests, which are backed by some of Italy’s major airport staff unions, may result in flight delays or cancellations at any one of the involved airport hubs, as well as delays in ground operations including check-in and baggage drop-off or collection services.
Air traffic controllers at Venice’s Marco Polo airport will also walk out from 1pm to 5pm on Friday, with the protest possibly causing significant changes to scheduled inbound and outbound flights.
Italy’s flag carrier ITA Airways said in a statement on Wednesday that it had been forced to cancel 24 flights scheduled for Friday, including 10 flights headed to Milan Linate, due to the planned walkouts. A full list of cancelled flights can be found here.
The airline said that passengers affected by cancellations or changes to scheduled departure times will be able to rebook their journey free of charge or request a full refund by the end of Monday, July 8th.
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Further cancellations couldn’t be ruled out as the company advised anyone who’s meant to be travelling with them on Friday to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
No national airline other than ITA Airways had announced flight cancellations as of Wednesday afternoon.
Which flights are guaranteed?
Under Italian laws, services scheduled to depart from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm are protected from strike action and should therefore go ahead as normal on Friday, according to Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority (Enac).
All passengers planning to fly to or from any of the above-mentioned Italian airports on Friday are advised to check the status of the flight with their airline before setting off.
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.
Follow all the latest updates in The Local's strike news section.
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