Italy Faces Back-to-Back Aviation Strikes on October 29–30, Including Bologna Ground Staff and ENAV Air Traffic Control
Why It MattersClustered Italian strikes across air traffic control, ground handling and rail show how one national action can overlap with a school-holiday peak and strain operators' flexibility across several airports at once.
Italy faces two consecutive days of aviation strike action on Thursday October 29 and Friday October 30, falling within the UK school half-term period, which runs October 23 to November 2 for most English schools.
On October 29, La Lucente staff, who provide ground handling at Bologna Airport (BLQ), are due to walk out from 12:00 to 16:00. Ground handling strikes of this kind typically affect baggage handling, ramp services and aircraft turnaround, with baggage delays the most common outcome. Separately, Trenitalia customer operations staff at Bologna, Reggio Emilia and Rimini are on a 24-hour walkout from 21:00 on October 28 to 21:00 on October 29, which may affect the rail link to Bologna Airport. The USB general strike affects rail from 21:00 on October 29 through 23:59 on October 30.
On October 30, ENAV, Italy's national air traffic control provider, is striking for the full day. Based on the pattern of earlier ENAV strikes on September 30 and October 16, the guaranteed-service windows are typically 07:00–10:00 and 18:00–21:00 Italian time, with the midday period carrying the highest risk of cancellation. Also on October 30, staff of Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta at Pisa Galileo Galilei and Florence Peretola airports are on a 24-hour walkout from 00:00 to 23:59, covering ground handling.
The USB national general strike is also set for October 30 across public and private sectors. Its scope for transport is contested: some reports say air and rail are excluded, while USB is challenging that exclusion and reaffirmed on October 15 its intention to proceed including transport workers. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport's register lists aviation under the October 30 action, so the final aviation impact may be wider than announced.
UK families who departed for Italy on October 23 for a seven-night stay are due to return on October 30, making Pisa and Florence departures that day the most exposed bookings. Passengers are advised to monitor airline notifications and official strike registers, and to wait for the airline to cancel a flight before seeking compensation or rebooking, since cancelling a booking yourself can forfeit EU261/UK261 compensation rights. A ground handling strike may be treated as extraordinary circumstances for airlines.
