Separate but coordinated 24-hour walkouts by ground-handling firms (Swissport Italy, Airport Handling, Dussmann Service) and four-hour stoppages by Vueling, Air France and KLM crews will paralyse operations at Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Pisa and Florence on Wednesday, 29 October. Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry and other EU governments have issued travel advisories urging passengers to check flight status and avoid non-essential trips.
Under ENAC rules, flights scheduled between 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 must operate, but airlines still expect cascading delays due to aircraft rotation and baggage-handling backlogs. Long-haul carriers have pre-emptively rerouted or rescheduled inbound legs to Rome Fiumicino.
TravelWise estimates that up to 1,200 flight movements could be affected, with Milan’s business-travel heavy routes (London, Frankfurt, Paris) facing the highest cancellation risk. Companies with time-sensitive meetings should consider rail alternatives from neighbouring hubs or postpone itineraries.
EU Regulation 261 compensation may apply if airlines cannot claim "extraordinary circumstances"; however, staffing strikes often fall into a grey area. Mobility managers should advise travellers to retain boarding passes and request carrier confirmation of the cause of disruption to support any refund claims.
The strike highlights ongoing wage disputes in Italy’s ground-handling sector and may foreshadow further unrest during the Christmas peak. Firms with high-volume assignee travel through Milan should secure contingency service contracts with secondary providers.
Under ENAC rules, flights scheduled between 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 must operate, but airlines still expect cascading delays due to aircraft rotation and baggage-handling backlogs. Long-haul carriers have pre-emptively rerouted or rescheduled inbound legs to Rome Fiumicino.
TravelWise estimates that up to 1,200 flight movements could be affected, with Milan’s business-travel heavy routes (London, Frankfurt, Paris) facing the highest cancellation risk. Companies with time-sensitive meetings should consider rail alternatives from neighbouring hubs or postpone itineraries.
EU Regulation 261 compensation may apply if airlines cannot claim "extraordinary circumstances"; however, staffing strikes often fall into a grey area. Mobility managers should advise travellers to retain boarding passes and request carrier confirmation of the cause of disruption to support any refund claims.
The strike highlights ongoing wage disputes in Italy’s ground-handling sector and may foreshadow further unrest during the Christmas peak. Firms with high-volume assignee travel through Milan should secure contingency service contracts with secondary providers.
