Italy flights grounded due to strikes and a fire

Italy’s major airports began cancelling flights on Tuesday in preparation for a day of nationwide strikes on Wednesday.

Most of the country’s key airports, including Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Naples, Catania, and Venice, have been forced to cancel flights in response to the strikes.

More flights may be cancelled throughout the day. Airlines have advised passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.

A train strike in the Lombardy region has also contributed to Wednesday’s travel disruption. The Orsa Ferrovie union planned the industrial action due to ongoing labour regulation and financial compensation disputes. Trenord, the regional railway company, has said that this could affect all train services in Lombardy, including airport, regional, suburban, and long-distance routes.

Further to this, all air traffic was suspended at Rome’s second largest airport, Ciampino Airport, after a small fire broke out in a technical room at the base of the control tower, announced ENAV, the company that manages Italian air traffic. The fire has now been put out, but its cause remains unknown.

The fire is an additional disruption to Campiano Airport’s flight schedule, after airport handling staff took part in the 24-hour walk out due to ongoing disputes.

In November last year flights to, from and within Italy were disrupted due to union strikes in response to the government’s latest budget plans.