Italy faces a wave of at least twenty transport strikes in February, including two 24-hour nationwide stoppages that will disrupt flights and high-speed rail, according to an ANSA dispatch on 1 February (ansa.it). Aviation workers—particularly at ITA Airways and Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports—will down tools on Monday 16 February, while train drivers and onboard staff at state-owned Ferrovie dello Stato plan a full halt from the evening of 27 February through 28 February. Additional local rail walk-outs in Lazio and Lombardy begin as early as tomorrow, and port workers belonging to the USB union will strike on 6 February.
For business travellers the timing is grim: the mid-month aviation stoppage coincides with the Milan Fashion Week build-up and pre-Carnival leisure traffic, potentially forcing re-routing via Zurich or Munich. Rail disruption threatens commuters on the Milan-Rome corridor and could delay freight critical to just-in-time manufacturing chains.
![February strikes to hit Italian air, rail and port travel]()
Amid this operational uncertainty, travellers juggling last-minute schedule changes can lean on VisaHQ’s Italy services (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) to secure or amend Schengen visas, obtain digital passport photos, and track application status in real time—useful perks when rerouting through neighbouring countries or extending stays until the strikes subside.
Global mobility teams should alert travellers to book flexible fares, consider remote participation for client meetings, and reserve hotel inventory near secondary airports such as Bergamo or Bologna. Employers with posted workers should verify whether collective-bargaining exemptions apply; essential-service minimums may still guarantee limited long-distance trains, but regional services are likely to be heavily curtailed.
Longer-term, Italy’s fragmented strike notification system continues to complicate duty-of-care planning. The Labour Ministry is developing a central portal under Law 74/2025, but implementation is unlikely before 2027.
For business travellers the timing is grim: the mid-month aviation stoppage coincides with the Milan Fashion Week build-up and pre-Carnival leisure traffic, potentially forcing re-routing via Zurich or Munich. Rail disruption threatens commuters on the Milan-Rome corridor and could delay freight critical to just-in-time manufacturing chains.
Amid this operational uncertainty, travellers juggling last-minute schedule changes can lean on VisaHQ’s Italy services (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) to secure or amend Schengen visas, obtain digital passport photos, and track application status in real time—useful perks when rerouting through neighbouring countries or extending stays until the strikes subside.
Global mobility teams should alert travellers to book flexible fares, consider remote participation for client meetings, and reserve hotel inventory near secondary airports such as Bergamo or Bologna. Employers with posted workers should verify whether collective-bargaining exemptions apply; essential-service minimums may still guarantee limited long-distance trains, but regional services are likely to be heavily curtailed.
Longer-term, Italy’s fragmented strike notification system continues to complicate duty-of-care planning. The Labour Ministry is developing a central portal under Law 74/2025, but implementation is unlikely before 2027.
