Business travellers to and from Italy face a fresh headache after aviation unions rescheduled a 24-hour nationwide strike for Wednesday, 26 February 2026. The walk-out—confirmed by industry-rights platform AirHelp on 19 February—will involve pilots, cabin crew, ground-handling staff and air-traffic controllers, raising the likelihood of widespread delays and cancellations at all major gateways, including Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino, Venice Marco Polo and Verona Catullo. A separate strike by national ATC provider ENAV is planned for 7 March, compounding disruption around the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics closing period. (airhelp.com)
The 26 February protest replaces an earlier 16 February date, reportedly to avoid embarrassment during the Olympic fortnight. Unions accuse carriers and airport operators of staff shortages, wage erosion and excessive use of subcontractors. Airlines have already begun loading “preventive cancellations” into global distribution systems, while Aeroporti di Roma has warned passengers to allow extra time for check-in and security as staffing levels may be minimal.
Under EU Regulation 261/2004, travellers whose flights are cancelled fewer than 14 days before departure may be entitled to compensation of up to €600, unless the airline can prove “extraordinary circumstances”. Because strikes by airline personnel are usually considered within the carrier’s control, compensation claims often succeed. Employers should remind travelling staff to keep boarding passes and request written confirmation of disruption at the airport.
![Nationwide aviation strike on 26 February set to disrupt business travel across Italy]()
For those scrambling to reroute through other countries or extend their stays, VisaHQ can simplify one major variable: paperwork. Its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) lets users confirm entry rules, apply for visas and renew passports online—handy when last-minute diversions require new travel documents or transit permissions during the strike chaos.
Corporate-travel managers are advising clients to re-route via Switzerland, Austria or France where possible, or switch to rail on the Milan–Rome and Milan–Venice corridors, bearing in mind that Trenitalia has announced a separate 48-hour rail strike from the evening of 27 February. Hotels in hub cities are already reporting higher occupancy for the nights surrounding the action.
Looking ahead, the strike renews calls from business-aviation bodies for Italy to adopt minimum-service guarantees similar to those in Spain and France. Until such reform materialises, contingency planning— including flexible tickets and remote-meeting alternatives—remains essential for travellers with late-February itineraries.
The 26 February protest replaces an earlier 16 February date, reportedly to avoid embarrassment during the Olympic fortnight. Unions accuse carriers and airport operators of staff shortages, wage erosion and excessive use of subcontractors. Airlines have already begun loading “preventive cancellations” into global distribution systems, while Aeroporti di Roma has warned passengers to allow extra time for check-in and security as staffing levels may be minimal.
Under EU Regulation 261/2004, travellers whose flights are cancelled fewer than 14 days before departure may be entitled to compensation of up to €600, unless the airline can prove “extraordinary circumstances”. Because strikes by airline personnel are usually considered within the carrier’s control, compensation claims often succeed. Employers should remind travelling staff to keep boarding passes and request written confirmation of disruption at the airport.
For those scrambling to reroute through other countries or extend their stays, VisaHQ can simplify one major variable: paperwork. Its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) lets users confirm entry rules, apply for visas and renew passports online—handy when last-minute diversions require new travel documents or transit permissions during the strike chaos.
Corporate-travel managers are advising clients to re-route via Switzerland, Austria or France where possible, or switch to rail on the Milan–Rome and Milan–Venice corridors, bearing in mind that Trenitalia has announced a separate 48-hour rail strike from the evening of 27 February. Hotels in hub cities are already reporting higher occupancy for the nights surrounding the action.
Looking ahead, the strike renews calls from business-aviation bodies for Italy to adopt minimum-service guarantees similar to those in Spain and France. Until such reform materialises, contingency planning— including flexible tickets and remote-meeting alternatives—remains essential for travellers with late-February itineraries.
