Passengers using easyJet services within and to/from Italy this week face fresh disruption after unions representing the airline’s pilots and flight attendants announced a nationwide walk-out on Saturday 31 January from 13:00 to 17:00. Naples Airport operator GESAC posted the strike notice late on 27 January, warning of “possible delays and cancellations” and urging travellers to check flight status.
The industrial action, organised by pilots’ union ANPAC and cabin-crew union USB Lavoro Aereo, centres on stalled talks over roster patterns, post-pandemic wage restoration and the integration of new Airbus A321neo aircraft. The stoppage falls outside Italy’s legally protected ‘guaranteed flight’ windows, meaning a significant share of domestic and intra-Schengen services could be grounded.
easyJet operates more than 130 daily departures at this time of year across Milan Malpensa, Naples, Venice and Rome Fiumicino. Corporate travel managers should monitor contingency plans: the four-hour action sits in the middle of a day when many business passengers position for Monday meetings. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, travellers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to rerouting or refunds but not compensation if the airline proves the disruption was caused by a strike ‘outside its control’. However, Italian courts have sometimes ruled that carrier-internal labour disputes do not qualify as extraordinary circumstances.
![easyJet pilots and cabin crew call four-hour national strike in Italy on 31 January]()
For travellers who suddenly need to reroute through a non-Schengen destination, extend a stay or secure multiple-entry documentation at short notice, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) provides real-time requirement checks and expedited visa processing for Italy and onward countries—an extra layer of insurance when airline strikes throw carefully planned itineraries into disarray.
High-frequency rail may absorb some demand, yet Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa services on the Milan–Rome corridor were already 82 % full for the relevant time band by Tuesday morning, according to ticket-scraper Trainline. Ground-handling agents also note that knock-on delays could affect airlines sharing staff or gate resources with easyJet, particularly at Malpensa’s low-cost Terminal 2.
The action is the first coordinated strike at easyJet Italy in 2026 and signals a tense bargaining season ahead: unions at ITA Airways and Ryanair are balloting members for February job actions. Companies relying on Italy for regional sales conferences or supply-chain hops should review multi-carrier booking strategies and traveller-tracking tools.
The industrial action, organised by pilots’ union ANPAC and cabin-crew union USB Lavoro Aereo, centres on stalled talks over roster patterns, post-pandemic wage restoration and the integration of new Airbus A321neo aircraft. The stoppage falls outside Italy’s legally protected ‘guaranteed flight’ windows, meaning a significant share of domestic and intra-Schengen services could be grounded.
easyJet operates more than 130 daily departures at this time of year across Milan Malpensa, Naples, Venice and Rome Fiumicino. Corporate travel managers should monitor contingency plans: the four-hour action sits in the middle of a day when many business passengers position for Monday meetings. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, travellers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to rerouting or refunds but not compensation if the airline proves the disruption was caused by a strike ‘outside its control’. However, Italian courts have sometimes ruled that carrier-internal labour disputes do not qualify as extraordinary circumstances.
For travellers who suddenly need to reroute through a non-Schengen destination, extend a stay or secure multiple-entry documentation at short notice, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) provides real-time requirement checks and expedited visa processing for Italy and onward countries—an extra layer of insurance when airline strikes throw carefully planned itineraries into disarray.
High-frequency rail may absorb some demand, yet Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa services on the Milan–Rome corridor were already 82 % full for the relevant time band by Tuesday morning, according to ticket-scraper Trainline. Ground-handling agents also note that knock-on delays could affect airlines sharing staff or gate resources with easyJet, particularly at Malpensa’s low-cost Terminal 2.
The action is the first coordinated strike at easyJet Italy in 2026 and signals a tense bargaining season ahead: unions at ITA Airways and Ryanair are balloting members for February job actions. Companies relying on Italy for regional sales conferences or supply-chain hops should review multi-carrier booking strategies and traveller-tracking tools.
