Italy: Flight disruptions persist despite postponement of national aviation strike February 25-26 /update 2

Event

Several trade unions that were planning a nationwide aviation strike on Tuesday, February 25, have postponed the work stoppage to Thursday, April 2, due to the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Italy. However, Alitalia representatives said that it was too late to restore their original flight schedule after the airline pre-emptively canceled several flights scheduled outside of peak times on Tuesday, as well as some flights in the morning (local time) of Wednesday, February 26. Moreover, a transport union with staff servicing Milan's Malpensa Airport (MXP) is planning to proceed with their original strike scheduled between 10:00 and 14:00 on Tuesday.

Flight disruptions, including further flight cancelations, are therefore still anticipated nationwide on Tuesday.

Context

Transportation-related strikes are frequent in Italy and can be highly disruptive. However, in accordance with Italian law, minimum levels of services must be guaranteed during all industrial and social actions.

Advice

Individuals traveling to or from Italy are advised to monitor developments to the situation, anticipate disruptions to airport operations, confirm flight reservations, contact your airline for more information, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.