Italy’s skies turned patchy on 30 September as air-traffic controllers from ENAV and its IT subsidiary Techno Sky walked off the job between 13:00 and 17:00. The stoppage, called by the UILTrasporti union, is the first nationwide ATC strike since the summer and comes at the tail-end of the post-holiday travel peak. According to the civil-aviation authority ENAC, 29 % of ITA Airways’ departures were cancelled while dozens of foreign carriers pre-emptively trimmed their schedules. Guaranteed-flight lists published overnight ensured the operation of humanitarian, state, “bridge-time-band” and a handful of long-haul services, but point-to-point business travellers bore the brunt of the disruption. The union says the strike was triggered by stalled talks on the renewal of the company’s supplemental labour contract, chronic staff shortages at Milan Linate, Naples and Bologna towers, and delays in digital-radar investments. ENAV counters that hiring pipelines have resumed and that a €750 million modernisation programme remains on track for 2027. Nevertheless, operators warn that repeated short work-stoppages are eroding Italy’s reputation for schedule reliability—particularly damaging for multinational firms that use Milan and Rome as Southern-Europe hubs. For mobility managers the practical advice is clear: build extra slack into itineraries that route through Italy this week, encourage executives to travel with cabin-only luggage to facilitate reaccommodation, and remind staff of EU261 compensation rules—in particular that strikes by air-navigation personnel are generally deemed “extraordinary circumstances,” limiting monetary redress. Travellers should also monitor local airport websites, some of which (e.g., Turin Caselle) have posted additional terminal-staff shortages linked to the walk-out. Looking ahead, the transport ministry’s strike calendar shows a sequence of regional job actions in early October, including ground-handling stoppages at Bari and Cagliari. While none are as far-reaching as the ENAV walk-out, the cumulative effect could spill into connecting banks at European hubs. Corporations with time-critical supply-chain flows—fashion samples from Florence or pharma cold-chain goods from Milan Malpensa—should keep close contact with freight forwarders. The dispute also has a policy dimension: the Meloni government is weighing reforms that would classify ATC services as “essential infrastructure,” potentially curbing strike hours. Unions argue that such a move would contravene ILO conventions; business-travel associations, by contrast, say clearer minimum-service thresholds would make Italy a safer bet for corporate meetings and incentives.
Source: Sky TG24
