Illustration: an easyJet Airbus A320 departing Amsterdam Schiphol on 8 May 2025. RubenVanKuik / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Three separate aviation strike notices could disrupt operations in Italy on Friday 16 October: a 24-hour nationwide easyJet crew walkout, a 24-hour action involving Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta at Florence and Pisa, and a nationwide Poste Air Cargo technical flight crew strike. No ENAV action for that date is listed in the official register. The Sicuritalia IVRI notice affecting Venice Marco Polo is now recorded for 22 November, not 16 October.
Updated 8 October 2026.
The situation matters for international travellers because 16 October involves several separate disputes rather than one nationwide shutdown. The current official picture combines airline crew action with airport and ground-handling disruption in Tuscany, while air cargo crews are also called out.
Italy’s official Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport strike register, checked on 8 October, lists three distinct 16 October disputes: easyJet, airport and ground-handling companies at Florence and Pisa, and Poste Air Cargo. The Sicuritalia IVRI notice previously associated with 16 October is now recorded for 22 November 2026. Travellers should not mistake the separate Venice security-services dispute for a confirmed risk on 16 October.
The same caution applies to ENAV. Some secondary sources currently mention an air navigation services strike on 16 October, but no such action appears in the Ministry register now in force. The next nationwide ENAV strike visible in that table is scheduled for 21 November. It would therefore be misleading at this stage to describe an Italian air traffic control strike on 16 October as confirmed.
easyJet crew called to a 24-hour nationwide strike
The most visible action concerns easyJet Airlines Limited crew. USB Lavoro Privato has called a national strike from 00:00 to 23:59. The union has linked the dispute to industrial-relations issues and a contested collective agreement.
USB had called for publication of the agreement and a certified workforce referendum. On 6 October, the union responded to the consultation result, which approved the agreement signed on 15 September, but stressed that 45.07% of participating employees did not back the deal and challenged the way the vote was conducted. USB says it will hold meetings on the next stage of the dispute and confirms that the 16 October strike remains on the agenda. The union’s statement is available here.
Because the easyJet action is nationwide, passengers should not treat it as a problem confined to one Italian airport. The actual operational impact will depend on participation levels and on the schedule easyJet decides to operate closer to the date. No overall cancellation programme has yet been published.
Pisa and Florence face a separate airport and ground-handling dispute
At Pisa Galileo Galilei and Florence Peretola, a separate 24-hour strike involves staff at Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta, called by USB Lavoro Privato. The disruption risk therefore extends beyond airline crews to airport and ground-handling operations.
Even where a flight remains scheduled, ground-side disruption can lead to longer check-in or boarding processes, baggage delays and slower aircraft turnarounds. Travellers using Tuscany’s two main airports should therefore expect the possibility of delays as well as cancellations.
Venice security-services notice now scheduled for November
At Venice Marco Polo, the Sicuritalia IVRI notice called by FISASCAT-CISL is now registered for Sunday 22 November 2026, from 00:00 to 23:59. It no longer appears among the 16 October actions. Any impact on airport security processes or passenger queues should therefore be assessed for November; no flight cancellations arising from that later notice have been established.
Poste Air Cargo crews are also called out
Technical flight crew at Poste Air Cargo are called to a nationwide 24-hour strike from 00:00 to 24:00 by FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL, UILT-UIL, ANPAC and ANP. This action is primarily relevant to cargo operations rather than passenger schedules, but it adds to the concentration of aviation industrial action on the day.
Italy’s protected flight windows still matter
A 24-hour strike does not mean a 24-hour shutdown of Italian aviation. ENAC states that protected periods run from 07:00 to 10:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00, during which protected flights must operate.
ENAC can also publish lists of flights deemed essential when strikes are confirmed. As of 8 October, its guaranteed-flight page contains no specific list for 16 October. Any firm cancellation figure would therefore be premature.
What happens if your flight is cancelled?
Under EU passenger-rights rules, a cancelled flight gives passengers a choice between reimbursement and re-routing, together with assistance where applicable. The European Commission also notes that an internal airline staff strike is not in itself an extraordinary circumstance. Action external to an airline may be assessed differently depending on the circumstances. The official Your Europe guidance explains the distinction.
Passengers booked with easyJet or travelling through Pisa or Florence on 16 October should monitor their airline’s app or website and check the flight status before travelling to the airport.
Related: easyJet October strike: which flights face the biggest risk?
AeroSillage will update this article if easyJet, the airports concerned, the Italian Ministry or ENAC publish cancellation programmes, guaranteed-flight lists, a strike withdrawal or any other material change.
Leave a Reply