Italy’s transport network ground to a near-halt on 28 November as the USB grassroots union and several smaller labour groups staged an eight-hour general strike that spilled into the early hours of 29 November. Air travellers felt the impact first: ITA Airways pre-emptively cancelled 26 flights, while a further 40 departures and arrivals were delayed or re-routed at Rome-Fiumicino, Milan-Linate and Venice-Marco Polo airports. Lufthansa, easyJet and Ryanair also warned of knock-on delays for feeder services connecting in Italy.
Rail and urban transit were equally hard-hit. High-speed Frecciarossa and Italo services operated with skeleton timetables, and regional trains in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria registered average delays of 45 minutes. In Rome, five metro stations on Line A closed during the peak of the protest, while Milan’s M3 line shut completely between 09:00 and 13:00 before gradually reopening. Commuters were left scrambling for taxis and ride-shares, driving up surge-pricing by more than 200 % in major cities.
![Nationwide Strike Grounds Flights and Slows Trains Across Italy]()
The strike was called to protest Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s draft 2026 budget, which critics label a “war budget” for raising defence spending while limiting outlays on health and education. Demonstrations drew thousands in Turin, Bologna, Genoa and Palermo, with environmental activist Greta Thunberg and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese marching at the head of several columns. At Venice’s lagoonside headquarters of defence giant Leonardo SpA, protesters were dispersed by water-cannon after trying to block access roads.
Disruption extended beyond passenger inconvenience. Logistics firms reported delivery back-logs at Genoa and Trieste ports, and several multinational manufacturers temporarily idled production lines after supplies failed to arrive. A DHL spokesperson told Global Mobility News that “same-day cross-border road shipments are effectively impossible until at least Monday.” Business-travel managers are advising travellers to factor in 24-hour buffers and to re-book on flexible fares until labour talks resume.
Practical implications: companies with executives on tight itineraries should switch to virtual meetings or reroute via Zurich, Nice or Ljubljana, airports that remained largely unaffected. Travellers already in Italy should confirm train and flight status before departing for the station or airport and allow extra time for security queues as staff gradually return to duty.
Rail and urban transit were equally hard-hit. High-speed Frecciarossa and Italo services operated with skeleton timetables, and regional trains in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria registered average delays of 45 minutes. In Rome, five metro stations on Line A closed during the peak of the protest, while Milan’s M3 line shut completely between 09:00 and 13:00 before gradually reopening. Commuters were left scrambling for taxis and ride-shares, driving up surge-pricing by more than 200 % in major cities.
The strike was called to protest Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s draft 2026 budget, which critics label a “war budget” for raising defence spending while limiting outlays on health and education. Demonstrations drew thousands in Turin, Bologna, Genoa and Palermo, with environmental activist Greta Thunberg and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese marching at the head of several columns. At Venice’s lagoonside headquarters of defence giant Leonardo SpA, protesters were dispersed by water-cannon after trying to block access roads.
Disruption extended beyond passenger inconvenience. Logistics firms reported delivery back-logs at Genoa and Trieste ports, and several multinational manufacturers temporarily idled production lines after supplies failed to arrive. A DHL spokesperson told Global Mobility News that “same-day cross-border road shipments are effectively impossible until at least Monday.” Business-travel managers are advising travellers to factor in 24-hour buffers and to re-book on flexible fares until labour talks resume.
Practical implications: companies with executives on tight itineraries should switch to virtual meetings or reroute via Zurich, Nice or Ljubljana, airports that remained largely unaffected. Travellers already in Italy should confirm train and flight status before departing for the station or airport and allow extra time for security queues as staff gradually return to duty.
