As thousands of Italian airline workers strike, more chaos is expected for travelers.
Multiple budget airlines cancelled Wednesday flights from Italy after a walkout by cabin crew.
EasyJet has cancelled 20 Gatwick flights today, including departures from Bologna and Milan, Naples, Rome, and Venice.
Ryanair offers cancelled 14 flight between London and Milan and several between Italy and Stansted Airport.
Both airlines stated that they would do their best to minimize disruption, but claimed that strike action was “outside (their) control.”
Unionised air traffic controllers from multiple Italian airports will strike for 24 hours today. This will cause ITA Airways to cancel 81 flight cancellations.
After weeks chaos at European airports with passengers trapped in snaking lines for up to seven hours, the industrial action follows.
What is the reason for strike action by Italian airline workers?
Volotea and EasyJet pilots and flight attendants will be fired today between 10am and 2pm CEST.
During this time, several Italian airports air traffic controllers will go on strike for 24 hours. They will return to work on June 9.
Filt (Italian Federation of Transport Workers), and Uiltrasporti, (Italian Union of Transport Workers), are the striking employees.
The unions jointly blamed the industrial action on poor pay conditions in a joint statement.
The statement stated that “Among the issues… are… arbitrarily reduced paychecks, non-payments of sick days and refusals by the company to grant summer leave, as well as the inability to provide water and meals for crew members.”
British Airways had to cancel 8,000 flights from its March-October schedule. EasyJet, however, recently cancelled 240 flights between 27 June and 10 June.
Heat is also affecting airports. For thousands of travelers, security delays at Dublin Airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport have caused major disruption.
Although the aviation industry launched a recruitment drive, Air Council International, Europe’s trade body for airports, has warned that delays will be inevitable at two-thirds European airports this summer.
Italy’s air traffic controllers went on strike for 24 hours. Other airports, including Milan’s 3 airports were affected by the strike. ATC workers took to the streets from 10:00 to 18:00.
Other workers in the aviation industry, including pilots, embarked on a four hour strike between 10:00 and 14:00.
Many flights cancelled
According to UILT, the strikes caused significant disruption and affected thousands of passengers. Ryanair and easyJet were among the airlines that cancelled scores of flights from and to Italy on Wednesday.
Strikes among airline employees
On Wednesday, workers from several major airlines joined the ATC Strike, including Volotea and Ryanair employees, which lasted from 10:00 to 14.00.
Employees complained about their working conditions and wages, including “unacceptable salary reductions” and “a series unjustifiable layoffs.”
