Irish holiday-makers and business travellers heading to continental Europe face potential disruption today after coordinated strike action by ground-handling crews, air-traffic controllers and airline staff in Italy, as well as a separate walk-out by baggage-handling contractors at London-Luton Airport.
Italy’s four-hour stoppage runs from 13:00 to 17:00 local time and involves ENAV air-traffic staff for Rome airspace, Assohandlers ground agents at major airports and crews from ITA Airways, Vueling, Air France-KLM and low-cost carriers servicing Milan, Venice and Naples. Although Italian law guarantees a skeleton timetable, Irish carriers have warned of knock-on delays throughout the day. Aer Lingus and Ryanair advised customers travelling to Rome, Milan or Bologna to allow extra time and to monitor flight-status apps.
In the UK, Unite members employed by Menzies Aviation at Luton begin the first of two 72-hour strikes at 04:00 on 19 December, but work-to-rule tactics have already slowed baggage loading, causing missed connections for passengers transiting to Dublin and Cork. Luton handled more than 300,000 Irish-bound seats last Christmas.
![17 December Strikes in Italy and UK Trigger Pre-Christmas Travel Alerts for Irish Passengers]()
For travellers facing sudden re-routing because of these stoppages, VisaHQ can help determine whether a transit or short-stay visa is required and can expedite any necessary applications online. Irish citizens can quickly verify entry rules for Schengen and non-Schengen destinations through the dedicated portal at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/, saving valuable time when flight plans change at short notice.
The strikes come as Europe enters its busiest travel week since 2019, with Dublin Airport forecasting 1.3 million passengers between 18 and 31 December. While Dublin itself is unaffected, DAA urged travellers with onward European connections to build in additional layover time. For companies arranging last-minute assignments, travel managers should activate contingency routing via Brussels or Amsterdam, check Schengen visa validity for alternative transit points and remind employees of EU261 compensation rights.
Insurance brokers Aon Ireland note that most corporate travel policies cover extra accommodation and re-ticketing costs incurred by strikes, but only if travellers keep receipts and obtain written confirmation of delay from airlines—documents that can be hard to secure once ground staff walk off the job. Employers are advised to circulate a “strike kit” checklist and ensure assignees have digital copies of passports and work permits in case re-routing requires immigration processing in a third country.
Italy’s four-hour stoppage runs from 13:00 to 17:00 local time and involves ENAV air-traffic staff for Rome airspace, Assohandlers ground agents at major airports and crews from ITA Airways, Vueling, Air France-KLM and low-cost carriers servicing Milan, Venice and Naples. Although Italian law guarantees a skeleton timetable, Irish carriers have warned of knock-on delays throughout the day. Aer Lingus and Ryanair advised customers travelling to Rome, Milan or Bologna to allow extra time and to monitor flight-status apps.
In the UK, Unite members employed by Menzies Aviation at Luton begin the first of two 72-hour strikes at 04:00 on 19 December, but work-to-rule tactics have already slowed baggage loading, causing missed connections for passengers transiting to Dublin and Cork. Luton handled more than 300,000 Irish-bound seats last Christmas.
For travellers facing sudden re-routing because of these stoppages, VisaHQ can help determine whether a transit or short-stay visa is required and can expedite any necessary applications online. Irish citizens can quickly verify entry rules for Schengen and non-Schengen destinations through the dedicated portal at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/, saving valuable time when flight plans change at short notice.
The strikes come as Europe enters its busiest travel week since 2019, with Dublin Airport forecasting 1.3 million passengers between 18 and 31 December. While Dublin itself is unaffected, DAA urged travellers with onward European connections to build in additional layover time. For companies arranging last-minute assignments, travel managers should activate contingency routing via Brussels or Amsterdam, check Schengen visa validity for alternative transit points and remind employees of EU261 compensation rights.
Insurance brokers Aon Ireland note that most corporate travel policies cover extra accommodation and re-ticketing costs incurred by strikes, but only if travellers keep receipts and obtain written confirmation of delay from airlines—documents that can be hard to secure once ground staff walk off the job. Employers are advised to circulate a “strike kit” checklist and ensure assignees have digital copies of passports and work permits in case re-routing requires immigration processing in a third country.
