An air transport strike has been called for February 9 in Italy by ground and airport staff. As a result, postponed and cancelled flights are expected.
According to Avionews, the strike is set to begin from midnight and last until 11:59 pm.
The air strike was proclaimed by the the Uiltrasporti unions, Unione sindacale di base (Usb), Confederazione unitaria di base (Cub) and Federazione lavoratori autonomi italiani (Flai). The flight personnel of the airline Air Dolomiti (Lufthansa Group) affiliated to the Associazione nazionale professionale aviazione civile (Anpac) are also participating in the strike.
They are requesting improved contract terms, also taking into account higher monthly pay, a one-time bonus of €500.000, recognition of seniority increases, a productivity incentive, maintenance of social security agreements, as well as other benefits such as meal vouchers.
Due to the strike, Italy Airways announced the cancellation of 48 domestic flights while keeping all intercontinental flights regular.
THEENAC (National Civil Aviation Authority) has published the list of flights that will continue during strike days. In particular, flights scheduled between 7-10 am and 6-9 pm, including charters, will operate normally.
In addition, authorised charter flights to and from islands, as well as military, emergency, humanitarian, medical and rescue flights, will also proceed. It has also been confirmed that flights connecting to Italian islands with only one daily frequency will run, excluding mainland traffic.
As a result of the 24-hour strike, Ita Airways cancelled 48 flights, but it managed to guarantee international and intercontinental flights except for flights AZ 221 and AZ 222 from London to Milan Linate and return).
The company advises passengers with tickets for the strike day to check their flight status before heading to the airport. They can do this on the company website under Flight Info or by contacting the travel agency where they bought the ticket.
This month, several strikes have been announced in European countries. Earlier this month, Lufthansa’s ground staff announced a strike for February 7. At the same time, in the United Kingdom, members of the Aslef union announced a strike and an overtime ban for a period from January 30 until February 5.
According to a report from Euronews, the strikes will affect various train operators, including Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, West Midlands Trains, GTR, LNER, Southeastern, SWR, and TransPennine Trains.
In France, a strike was also announced from February 5 to September 9 on the Ile-de-France bus and metro network as CGT-RATP.
