Italy’s first major labour action of 2026 will hit on Friday, 9 January, when airport ground-handling crews, easyJet and Vueling cabin staff, and urban-transport workers stage overlapping strikes. The civil-aviation authority ENAC has activated its protected-flight list, guaranteeing operations only between 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00, plus one daily rotation to Sardinia and Sicily.
Swissport Italia staff at Milan Linate have called a 24-hour walkout, while the nationwide ground-handling union CUB Trasporti plans a four-hour stoppage—13:00 to 17:00—at airports across the peninsula. Parallel eight-hour strikes by easyJet and Vueling cabin crews add a layer of complexity just as corporate travel ramps up after the holidays.
Airlines have already trimmed schedules: ITA Airways cancelled 20 domestic sectors, primarily on the high-frequency Rome-Milan shuttle, and is offering fee-free rebooking or refunds until 12 January. Trenitalia and Italo warn of “severe alterations” to high-speed rail from 21:00 on 9 January through 21:00 on 10 January, which could scupper airport transfers and weekend repositioning.
![Coordinated Airport and Transport Strikes on 9 January Threaten Business Travel]()
Travellers whose itineraries have to be rebuilt at short notice should also verify that their travel documents remain valid. VisaHQ can step in here, offering rapid visa and passport services for Italy and other destinations through a single online dashboard, which can be especially useful when sudden schedule changes demand fresh bookings or route adjustments. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
Business-travel managers should advise staff to target flights inside the protected windows, shift to carry-on luggage to bypass delayed baggage, and build four-hour buffers for rail or road connections. Under EU 261 rules, airlines owe re-routing or refunds but not compensation if they prove the disruption stems from extraordinary circumstances; companies should document communications to expedite reimbursements.
Longer-term, the strike underscores chronic labour tensions in Italy’s aviation sector, where privatisation of handling services has led to pay gaps between contractors and airline employees. Mobility teams may wish to review traveller-tracking tools and consider alternative hubs such as Zurich or Vienna for critical meetings during peak strike periods.
Swissport Italia staff at Milan Linate have called a 24-hour walkout, while the nationwide ground-handling union CUB Trasporti plans a four-hour stoppage—13:00 to 17:00—at airports across the peninsula. Parallel eight-hour strikes by easyJet and Vueling cabin crews add a layer of complexity just as corporate travel ramps up after the holidays.
Airlines have already trimmed schedules: ITA Airways cancelled 20 domestic sectors, primarily on the high-frequency Rome-Milan shuttle, and is offering fee-free rebooking or refunds until 12 January. Trenitalia and Italo warn of “severe alterations” to high-speed rail from 21:00 on 9 January through 21:00 on 10 January, which could scupper airport transfers and weekend repositioning.
Travellers whose itineraries have to be rebuilt at short notice should also verify that their travel documents remain valid. VisaHQ can step in here, offering rapid visa and passport services for Italy and other destinations through a single online dashboard, which can be especially useful when sudden schedule changes demand fresh bookings or route adjustments. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
Business-travel managers should advise staff to target flights inside the protected windows, shift to carry-on luggage to bypass delayed baggage, and build four-hour buffers for rail or road connections. Under EU 261 rules, airlines owe re-routing or refunds but not compensation if they prove the disruption stems from extraordinary circumstances; companies should document communications to expedite reimbursements.
Longer-term, the strike underscores chronic labour tensions in Italy’s aviation sector, where privatisation of handling services has led to pay gaps between contractors and airline employees. Mobility teams may wish to review traveller-tracking tools and consider alternative hubs such as Zurich or Vienna for critical meetings during peak strike periods.
