Friday’s easyJet Strike in Italy Has Hours Where Flights Are Guaranteed

Pilots and cabin crew employed by easyJet in Italy are set to strike for 24 hours on Friday, October 16, 2026, from midnight to 23:59 local time. The action was called by the union USB Lavoro Privato, which says it is going ahead despite a staff vote that approved a new contract signed by five other unions. USB disputes that vote.

Italian rules protect two daily windows, 7:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00. Every flight scheduled to depart in those windows must operate, and international arrivals within half an hour of each window’s end are also protected. A flight leaving at 8:00 or 19:00 is covered; one leaving at noon is not.

Outside the protected hours, easyJet must still run one daily connection to and from the islands and one intercontinental departure per continent where it has one scheduled. Separately, a 24-hour strike by Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta staff at Pisa and Florence airports falls on the same day, with 20% of normal handling service required outside the protected windows.

For anyone flying easyJet in Italy on Friday, the sensible step is to check the booking in the airline’s app, and to consider moving a midday departure into a protected window if rebooking is offered. As with most Italian strikes, the disruption is bounded by law, but the middle of the day is where cancellations are most likely.

Sources: AeroCorner, AirHelp