Italy will kick off 2026 with a fresh wave of industrial action, as multiple unions have called 24- and 48-hour strikes in the aviation, rail and local-transport sectors for Friday 9 and Saturday 10 January. Airlines, including low-cost carriers and handling companies at Milan, Rome, Venice and Florence airports, will down tools between 10:00 and 18:00 on Friday, while rail staff on regional and long-distance services will walk out in overlapping time bands.
Travellers scrambling to adjust their schedules should also make sure their travel documentation is in order. VisaHQ’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) can fast-track visa applications, keep you updated on entry requirements and alert you to government advisories—all useful when strikes force last-minute rerouting. The service’s dashboard lets corporate mobility teams manage multiple travellers in one place, so paperwork doesn’t add to the disruption.
The Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has published its mandatory list of guaranteed flights: services scheduled between 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 will operate, along with one daily rotation to Sardinia and Sicily and all medical, emergency or state flights. ITA Airways has pre-emptively cancelled 20 domestic rotations—including Rome–Milan shuttles—and is offering penalty-free rebooking or refunds until 12 January.
![National transport strikes on 9-10 January threaten flight and rail schedules]()
Trenitalia and Italo have warned of “severe alterations” on high-speed lines, although they will run minimum services at peak commuter times. Urban transit in cities such as Naples, Bologna and Turin will also see four-hour stoppages, causing knock-on effects for airport transfers.
Business travellers should reconfirm itineraries, allow extra connection time and ensure that critical meetings are either moved online or rescheduled. Mobility teams are advised to check EU261 entitlements for affected staff and to pre-book hotel rooms near airports, as beds in Rome and Milan filled rapidly during last year’s comparable strike.
The walkouts underscore ongoing wage disputes triggered by Italy’s high inflation and could foreshadow further disruptions this spring when collective-bargaining talks resume. Companies with frequent intra-EU travel should monitor union calendars and build contingency budgets into Q1 travel plans.
Travellers scrambling to adjust their schedules should also make sure their travel documentation is in order. VisaHQ’s Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) can fast-track visa applications, keep you updated on entry requirements and alert you to government advisories—all useful when strikes force last-minute rerouting. The service’s dashboard lets corporate mobility teams manage multiple travellers in one place, so paperwork doesn’t add to the disruption.
The Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has published its mandatory list of guaranteed flights: services scheduled between 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 will operate, along with one daily rotation to Sardinia and Sicily and all medical, emergency or state flights. ITA Airways has pre-emptively cancelled 20 domestic rotations—including Rome–Milan shuttles—and is offering penalty-free rebooking or refunds until 12 January.
Trenitalia and Italo have warned of “severe alterations” on high-speed lines, although they will run minimum services at peak commuter times. Urban transit in cities such as Naples, Bologna and Turin will also see four-hour stoppages, causing knock-on effects for airport transfers.
Business travellers should reconfirm itineraries, allow extra connection time and ensure that critical meetings are either moved online or rescheduled. Mobility teams are advised to check EU261 entitlements for affected staff and to pre-book hotel rooms near airports, as beds in Rome and Milan filled rapidly during last year’s comparable strike.
The walkouts underscore ongoing wage disputes triggered by Italy’s high inflation and could foreshadow further disruptions this spring when collective-bargaining talks resume. Companies with frequent intra-EU travel should monitor union calendars and build contingency budgets into Q1 travel plans.
