Just hours after Rome revealed plans to outlaw strikes during the Winter Games, the USB, FIT-CISL and ANPAC unions reiterated that pilots, cabin crew and ground staff at easyJet, Vueling and ITA Airways will walk off the job on 16 February. The coordinated action is scheduled to run from 13:00-17:00 for most carriers, with some easyJet groups opting for a full-day strike.(rustourismnews.com)
Industry data from Cirium show ITA Airways has 314 flights booked that day—70 percent outside Italy’s guaranteed service windows—raising the spectre of widespread cancellations at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate and Malpensa. USB says workers have waited “over two years” for a wage deal that reflects rising inflation and Olympic-related overtime demands.
![Unions Double-Down on 16 February Airline Walk-out Despite Olympic Pressure]()
Amid the uncertainty, travellers who still need to arrange entry paperwork can turn to VisaHQ’s streamlined platform to secure Italian visas, track the status of their applications in real time and receive timely alerts—helping reduce one more variable when flights are already in flux. Learn more at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
If Salvini’s injunction is signed before Monday, unions could face hefty fines, but legal experts note that workers may still engage in “white strikes”—strict work-to-rule tactics that slow boarding and baggage handling without breaching the ban. Travellers to post-Olympic board meetings or trade fairs should therefore continue to build slack into itineraries and monitor re-booking policies.
Corporate mobility teams are advised to update travel-risk dashboards, brief assignees on potential disruptions at regional hubs such as Brescia-Montichiari, and verify that travel-insurance policies cover strike-related expenses. With a second strike date already pencilled in for 7 March, contingency planning will remain essential beyond the Olympic window.
Industry data from Cirium show ITA Airways has 314 flights booked that day—70 percent outside Italy’s guaranteed service windows—raising the spectre of widespread cancellations at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate and Malpensa. USB says workers have waited “over two years” for a wage deal that reflects rising inflation and Olympic-related overtime demands.
Amid the uncertainty, travellers who still need to arrange entry paperwork can turn to VisaHQ’s streamlined platform to secure Italian visas, track the status of their applications in real time and receive timely alerts—helping reduce one more variable when flights are already in flux. Learn more at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
If Salvini’s injunction is signed before Monday, unions could face hefty fines, but legal experts note that workers may still engage in “white strikes”—strict work-to-rule tactics that slow boarding and baggage handling without breaching the ban. Travellers to post-Olympic board meetings or trade fairs should therefore continue to build slack into itineraries and monitor re-booking policies.
Corporate mobility teams are advised to update travel-risk dashboards, brief assignees on potential disruptions at regional hubs such as Brescia-Montichiari, and verify that travel-insurance policies cover strike-related expenses. With a second strike date already pencilled in for 7 March, contingency planning will remain essential beyond the Olympic window.
