Dozens of flights have been cancelled and many more delayed across Italy on Wednesday due to a four-hour national walkout by staff at ENAV, the country's air navigation service provider. The industrial action, which began earlier today, is set to continue until 5pm local time, forcing passengers to make alternative arrangements.
Flights scheduled to land, depart, or transit through Italian airspace during the stoppage are facing delays or cancellations. The ENAV walkout is accompanied by localised ground and staff actions at several key hubs, including Milan Linate, Naples, Bologna, and Bari.
Protected Peak Bands and Disruption Figures
By Italian law, essential flights continue to operate during protected peak bands, which run from 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00. Despite this, tracking data from FlightAware shows significant disruption at major airports so far today.
- Rome Fiumicino: 18 cancelled, 60 delayed
- Bologna: 28 cancelled, 18 delayed
- Malpensa: 22 cancelled, 46 delayed
- Venice Marco Polo: 18 cancelled, 19 delayed
- Milan Linate: 14 cancelled, 5 delayed
Advice for Affected Travellers
Dale Robinson, a UK-based travel expert and Director at travel insurance specialists Just Travel Cover, said: “Some policies can provide cover for travel disruption caused by unexpected industrial action and/or natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions, subject to the individual policy terms and limits.
“However, other policies may specifically exclude disruption caused by volcanic ash. In the first instance, travellers affected by disruption should speak to their airline or travel provider to understand what alternative travel, assistance or refund they are entitled to.
“They should then check their individual travel insurance policy before incurring additional costs or making alternative arrangements.”
