Airline workers at ITA Airways, Vueling, and easyJet plan a February 16 strike during the Winter Olympics in Milan, potentially disrupting up to 27,000 passengers and affecting major Italian airports.
Airline workers in Italy aren’t waiting for the Winter Olympic Games in Milan to end before continuing work actions against their employers. Workers, including pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff, are poised to strike on February 16.
Pilots and flight attendants for ITA Airways, Vueling, and easyJet will walk out on February 16 unless a delay to the strike date is agreed upon. Italy-based workers of the airline easyJet will strike for four hours in the afternoon, while ITA Airways pilots and flight attendants, and Vueling Airlines flight attendants will strike for a full 24 hours. Workers handling flights from multiple airlines at Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports will also strike on February 16.
The ITA Airways strike will have broad effects. ITA is Italy’s second largest airline after Ryanair, and major disruptions are expected to the company’s traffic at major Italian airports, including Milan’s Malpensa and Linate airports, Rome Fiumicino, Venice Marco Polo, and Naples International Airport. In addition to these airports, ITA serves another 15 airports around Italy.
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Italian aviation regulations guarantee that flights will continue to operate—regardless of any labor action—between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Vueling and easyJet strike is planned outside those hours, and 70% of ITA Airways flights also operate outside the guarantee period.
The strike will take place in the middle of the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Olympic Games do not conclude until February 22, and are being held in a number of locations throughout northern Italy. Italy also sees an annual boost in tourism during the days surrounding Valentine’s Day, which could be disrupted by the strikes.
The striking unions cited stalled contract negotiations as their reason for striking, but have also been in negotiations with the government’s Strike Guarantee Committee regarding the date of their planned strikes. The committee had asked the unions to delay the strikes until after the Olympics had ended, so as not to blemish the success of the games, potentially compromising Italy’s competitive bids to host future Olympics and other major, transport-dependent sporting events.
“With the Olympics, we project an image of efficiency and beauty, and we cannot block citizens and athletes during these splendid Games,” Italy’s Minister of Infrastructure and Transport told the Italian news site ANSA.
The strike is expected to disrupt between 25,000 and 27,000 air passengers during the duration of the strike. Delays and cancellations resulting from aircraft and crews out of place during the work stoppage are expected to disrupt additional travelers in the days before and after the strike is in effect. Travelers should contact their airline for their latest flight status to learn about any delays or cancellations.
CUB Transporti, one of the unions that called the strike, said Salvini’s concerns about the Olympics were overblown. “[The strike] does not in any way jeopardize the holding of the Olympics or the travel of any athletes and/or delegations, who were notified well in advance.”
U.S.-based airlines could also be affected by airport worker strikes, but in the past, such disruptions have had limited impact on long-haul international flights operated by carriers based outside Italy. As of late Thursday, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines—the three U.S.-based airlines serving Italy—had not issued any travel advisories or flexible accommodations for travel disruptions related to the planned strikes.
Airlines won’t be the only transport companies in Italy affected by strikes in the coming weeks. Workers at the Italian state railway Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane will walk out after the Olympic Games on February 27. On March 7, air traffic controllers said they will also strike.