Widespread travel disruptions are expected in Italy this week with national strikes affecting both air and rail transport.
Pilots, cabin crew and airport ground staff across the country are set to strike for 24 hours on Thursday (26 February), including personnel at ITA Airways and easyJet.
The walkout, scheduled from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm, is expected to affect flights at all major Italian airports, including Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino, Venice Marco Polo and Verona Valerio Catullo.
Italian flag carrier ITA Airways has already cancelled 55 per cent of flights scheduled for Thursday and has warned flights on both Wednesday and Friday will also experience disruptions.
The airline is allowing affected travellers to rebook or request refunds “free of charge”. However, this option applies only to flights that have been cancelled or delayed by more than five hours.
On the ground, a 24-hour national rail strike will affect train services from Friday through to Saturday. Both passenger and freight services will be disrupted as train drivers and onboard staff at Trenitalia parent Ferrovie dello Stato, Italo and Trenord stop work from 9:00 pm on Friday until 8:59 pm on Saturday. Trenitalia has warned of possible service disruption both before and after the labour action.
Additionally, an eight-hour strike on Saturday 7 March by air traffic controllers at Rome Fiumicino is expected to cause flight delays next week.