Italy’s main air-traffic-controller union UNICA has called a four-hour national walkout on Friday 14 November from 13:00 to 17:00 CET, coinciding with a 24-hour strike by Volotea cabin crew and a separate 13:00-17:00 stoppage by Italy-based easyJet staff. ENAV has warned that flow-management restrictions may apply to overflights as well as domestic sectors, while Milano and Brindisi Area Control Centres are expected to run on skeleton crews.
The action follows a four-hour ground-handling and security strike that disrupted Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA) airports on 12 November, forcing airlines to cancel or retime dozens of flights. Analysts note that Italy has recorded 27 separate airport-industry stoppages so far in 2025 as unions leverage inflation-adjustment talks and staffing shortages.
![Nationwide ATC and Airline Strikes Set for 14 November Threaten Business Travel Across Italy]()
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry, among other European governments, issued a formal travel advisory on 13 November urging citizens to check flight status and anticipate knock-on rail strikes in Lombardy on 16 November. Corporate travel managers are being advised to re-book critical staff onto flights departing before 13:00, secure rail alternatives on the Milan-Rome-Naples corridor, and pre-approve hotel day-rooms for stranded crews.
From a compliance standpoint, employers sponsoring posted-worker notifications or short-term assignment letters must verify whether rescheduled arrival dates still meet posted-worker filing windows. Duty-of-care programmes should ensure mobile staff receive SMS alerts and have local ground-transport options, particularly at secondary airports where strike-day guarantees do not apply.
If no settlement is reached, unions have threatened further actions during the busy Christmas period. Mobility teams with Italy-bound travellers in December should budget additional contingency buffers and engage 24/7 travel-risk providers.
The action follows a four-hour ground-handling and security strike that disrupted Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA) airports on 12 November, forcing airlines to cancel or retime dozens of flights. Analysts note that Italy has recorded 27 separate airport-industry stoppages so far in 2025 as unions leverage inflation-adjustment talks and staffing shortages.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry, among other European governments, issued a formal travel advisory on 13 November urging citizens to check flight status and anticipate knock-on rail strikes in Lombardy on 16 November. Corporate travel managers are being advised to re-book critical staff onto flights departing before 13:00, secure rail alternatives on the Milan-Rome-Naples corridor, and pre-approve hotel day-rooms for stranded crews.
From a compliance standpoint, employers sponsoring posted-worker notifications or short-term assignment letters must verify whether rescheduled arrival dates still meet posted-worker filing windows. Duty-of-care programmes should ensure mobile staff receive SMS alerts and have local ground-transport options, particularly at secondary airports where strike-day guarantees do not apply.
If no settlement is reached, unions have threatened further actions during the busy Christmas period. Mobility teams with Italy-bound travellers in December should budget additional contingency buffers and engage 24/7 travel-risk providers.
