Barely hours after the controller walk-out began, flagship carrier ITA Airways was hit by its own 24-hour strike involving pilots, flight attendants and ground staff. The action, confirmed by Russian newswire AK&M and later by the airline, began at 00:01 and will run until midnight. Unions complain that the state-owned airline’s wage freeze – inherited from the old Alitalia restructuring plan – has persisted despite rising ticket revenues and the start of the summer peak. Negotiations mediated by the Ministry of Labour broke down yesterday when management insisted that any pay increase be offset by productivity concessions, including longer duty periods on intercontinental routes. ITA cancelled 114 flights, mostly domestic and short-haul European services. Long-haul departures to New York, São Paulo and Tokyo are operating but with outsourced crews, highlighting the carrier’s dependence on code-share partners in times of industrial unrest. Passengers booked on 24 June can rebook within one month without penalty.
![ITA Airways pilots and cabin crew launch 24-hour national strike amid wage dispute]()
At times like these, having travel documentation sorted quickly can be as crucial as finding an alternative flight. VisaHQ’s dedicated Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) helps travelers and mobility managers secure or amend visas online, track applications in real time, and arrange courier pickup—streamlining last-minute rerouting when industrial action throws schedules into disarray.
The strike is significant for mobility programmes because ITA controls nearly 40 percent of Italy’s corporate travel market after Alitalia’s demise. HR teams relying on the carrier’s bulk fares should monitor further industrial notices: unions have threatened rolling four-hour strikes every Friday in July if wage talks remain frozen. The episode also underscores a broader European trend: Eurocontrol data show that labour disputes accounted for 21 percent of en-route delays in Q1 2026, up from 8 percent a year earlier. Companies may wish to diversify preferred-carrier lists and store EU261 passenger-rights templates for quick distribution to affected travellers.
At times like these, having travel documentation sorted quickly can be as crucial as finding an alternative flight. VisaHQ’s dedicated Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) helps travelers and mobility managers secure or amend visas online, track applications in real time, and arrange courier pickup—streamlining last-minute rerouting when industrial action throws schedules into disarray.
The strike is significant for mobility programmes because ITA controls nearly 40 percent of Italy’s corporate travel market after Alitalia’s demise. HR teams relying on the carrier’s bulk fares should monitor further industrial notices: unions have threatened rolling four-hour strikes every Friday in July if wage talks remain frozen. The episode also underscores a broader European trend: Eurocontrol data show that labour disputes accounted for 21 percent of en-route delays in Q1 2026, up from 8 percent a year earlier. Companies may wish to diversify preferred-carrier lists and store EU261 passenger-rights templates for quick distribution to affected travellers.
