Air travellers woke up to widespread disruption on Thursday, 26 February 2026, as a 24-hour nationwide strike forced airlines to cancel roughly 300 flights at Italy’s busiest hubs. Cabin-crew, cockpit and ground-handling personnel at ITA Airways, easyJet and several specialist service companies walked off the job from 00:01 to 23:59 after wage talks collapsed. Labour federations Filt-CGIL, Fit-CISL, UIL-Trasporti, UGL-Trasporto Aereo and ANPAC said 87 % of eligible staff joined the protest, underscoring mounting frustration that the industry’s collective labour agreement—expired since December 2024—remains unresolved despite a rebound in post-pandemic traffic and record summer profits for carriers.
The stoppage hit Rome-Fiumicino, Milan-Linate/Malpensa, Venice-Marco Polo and Naples-Capodichino hardest. ITA Airways pre-emptively scrubbed approximately half of its daily schedule, while easyJet consolidated departures on larger aircraft where possible. Under Italian strike legislation, airlines maintained "protected" services during the morning (07:00-10:00) and evening (18:00-21:00) peaks, but passengers outside those windows faced last-minute cancellations, re-routing and lengthy queues at re-booking desks. Both ITA and easyJet offered no-fee date changes or full refunds.
Air-traffic controllers were not involved, meaning over-flights across Italian airspace operated normally. Nevertheless, knock-on effects spread to neighbouring hubs as crews and aircraft fell out of position. Global distribution systems showed delays on trans-European rotations into Frankfurt, Paris and Barcelona, signalling that corporate itineraries may feel ripples well into Friday.
![24-Hour Aviation Strike Grounds 300 Flights Across Italy]()
Whether you still need to travel during the turmoil or are rescheduling for a calmer day, VisaHQ can simplify at least one part of the journey. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers fast, fully online visa processing and up-to-date entry advice for Italy and hundreds of other destinations, so flyers can focus on alternative routes instead of paperwork.
The walkout is the latest flashpoint ahead of a broader wave of labour action in Italian transport. Trade unions confirmed a 24-hour national rail strike from 21:00 on 27 February to 21:00 on 28 February, raising the prospect of a bruising long weekend for business travellers and logistics planners. Industry associations urged the transport ministry to accelerate talks on salary indexation and overtime rules, warning that repeated stoppages could dent Italy’s reputation as it gears up to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
For multinational companies, the episode underlines the importance of dynamic travel-risk monitoring and flexible ticketing policies. HR teams were advised to alert mobile employees to check flight status in real time, build extra buffers into project timelines and consider rail or virtual-meeting alternatives where feasible. Longer term, the confrontation may add pressure on airlines to conclude a new multi-year contract that links pay rises to inflation—potentially increasing operating costs and, eventually, ticket prices.
The stoppage hit Rome-Fiumicino, Milan-Linate/Malpensa, Venice-Marco Polo and Naples-Capodichino hardest. ITA Airways pre-emptively scrubbed approximately half of its daily schedule, while easyJet consolidated departures on larger aircraft where possible. Under Italian strike legislation, airlines maintained "protected" services during the morning (07:00-10:00) and evening (18:00-21:00) peaks, but passengers outside those windows faced last-minute cancellations, re-routing and lengthy queues at re-booking desks. Both ITA and easyJet offered no-fee date changes or full refunds.
Air-traffic controllers were not involved, meaning over-flights across Italian airspace operated normally. Nevertheless, knock-on effects spread to neighbouring hubs as crews and aircraft fell out of position. Global distribution systems showed delays on trans-European rotations into Frankfurt, Paris and Barcelona, signalling that corporate itineraries may feel ripples well into Friday.
Whether you still need to travel during the turmoil or are rescheduling for a calmer day, VisaHQ can simplify at least one part of the journey. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers fast, fully online visa processing and up-to-date entry advice for Italy and hundreds of other destinations, so flyers can focus on alternative routes instead of paperwork.
The walkout is the latest flashpoint ahead of a broader wave of labour action in Italian transport. Trade unions confirmed a 24-hour national rail strike from 21:00 on 27 February to 21:00 on 28 February, raising the prospect of a bruising long weekend for business travellers and logistics planners. Industry associations urged the transport ministry to accelerate talks on salary indexation and overtime rules, warning that repeated stoppages could dent Italy’s reputation as it gears up to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
For multinational companies, the episode underlines the importance of dynamic travel-risk monitoring and flexible ticketing policies. HR teams were advised to alert mobile employees to check flight status in real time, build extra buffers into project timelines and consider rail or virtual-meeting alternatives where feasible. Longer term, the confrontation may add pressure on airlines to conclude a new multi-year contract that links pay rises to inflation—potentially increasing operating costs and, eventually, ticket prices.
