Flying Through Milan Next Sunday? Watch the Clock Closely

Travellers using Milan Malpensa next weekend should keep an eye on their booking. Air traffic control staff employed by ENAV at the airport plan a 24-hour strike running from 00:01 to midnight on Sunday, November 22. The walkout was called by the RSA FAST-CONFSAL-AV union, which filed notice on September 30, and when the official Italian strike register was checked on November 14 it had not been called off.

Italian law requires some service to continue during transport strikes. Departures between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 local time are protected, and all intercontinental arrivals are guaranteed. According to Viaggi-USA, airlines may also operate half of their intercontinental departures outside the protected windows, but that safeguard does not extend to the European connecting flights many long-haul passengers rely on. Flights to and from Bari are also legally guaranteed.

Milan is not the only pressure point that day. Security staff employed by Sicuritalia IVRI at Venice Marco Polo airport are also due to strike from 00:00 to 23:59 on November 22, which could slow security queues and baggage handling. A separate four-hour national ENAV strike on November 21 has been reported as cancelled, although listings disagree on its status.

As of November 12, no cancellations of US flights had been confirmed. Anyone flying into or out of northern Italy that weekend should check their airline app in the days before departure, try to move short-haul connections into the protected windows, and allow extra time at Venice for security.

Sources: Deep Arrival, TravelExtra