Italian air strike: flights cancelled from London airports to Italy on Friday including easyJet

Travellers looking to make their way from London to destinations in Italy at the end of week may be in for a delay or a different airline carrier as Italian air staff unions called for a strike to take place. The strikes look to affect almost 200 different flights in and out of Italy, with the majority of those airports affected being Milan and Rome based.

The strikes in Italy on Friday October 21 are based around a pay dispute and according to National World, the carriers most likely to be affected in the UK include easyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, ITA Airways and British Airways. State owned airline ITA confirmed that 13 direct flights between London and Italian destinations have been cancelled. According to Italy’s civil aviation authority (ENAC), a small number of flights will be guaranteed between 7am to 10am and 6pm to 9pm.

In a statement regarding the strikes, easyJet said: "We have been informed of national strike action in Italy on Friday, October 21, which will affect air traffic control and ground handling services. Like most airlines operating to and from Italy, we may see some disruption to our flying programme on this date.”

The airline is yet to confirm all the flights impacted by the wave of industrial action but added: “We advise customers travelling to, from or within Italy on Friday, October 21 to allow additional time to travel to and from the airport and to check the status of their flights on our Flight Tracker.”

Londonworld has reached out to a number of London airports for guidance regarding the industrial action in Italy. London Stansted responded saying “we’re not aware of any cancellations at London Stansted relating to any Italian ATC strikes, but [travellers] may want to check with Ryanair via their website to see if they have any cancellations today.”

What flights have been affected by the air traffic strike in Italy?

The following flights have been affected by the industrial action taking place by air staff in Italy. All details correct as of the time of writing and come courtesy of Flight Stats by Cirium.

London Heathrow

• 07:00: BA552 - Rome (Cancelled)
• 07:15: B564 - Milan (Cancelled)
• 07:35: BA540 - Bologna (Cancelled)
• 08:20: BA548 - Rome (Cancelled)
• 08:30: BA604 - Pisa (Cancelled)
• 08:35: BA578 - Venice (Cancelled)
• 09:15: BA572 - Milan (Cancelled)
• 10:30: BA574 - Milan (Cancelled)
• 11:15: BA2608 - Naples (Cancelled)
• 12:00: BA612 - Pisa (Cancelled)
• 12:10: BA560 - Rome (Cancelled)
• 13:30: BA2584 - Venice (Cancelled)
• 18:30: BA598 - Venice (Cancelled)

London Gatwick

• 05:55: U28064 - Venice (cancelled)
• 05:55: U2 8531 - Naples (cancelled)
• 06:40: U2 8251 - Rome (cancelled)
• 06:45: BA 2598 - Verona (cancelled)
• 06:55: U2 8189 - Milan (cancelled)
• 07:00: U2 8179 - Milan (cancelled)
• 07:10: U28201 - Milan (cancelled)
• 09:05: U28191 - Milan (cancelled)

London Stansted

• 07:40: FR 584 - Pisa (delayed - 7 hours 20 minutes)
• 08:40: FR 3002 - Rome (delayed -  6 hours 10 minutes)

London Luton Airport

• 06:15: U22415 - Naples (cancelled)

London City Airport

• 08:25: AZ 217 - Milan (cancelled)
• 11:15: BA 3279 - Florence (cancelled)
• 11:55: BA 3289 - Milan (cancelled)

London Southend

• No cancellations announced

What happens if my flight is affected?

easyJet have already advised customers that they are working to ensure anyone affected by the industrial action in Italy will be moved to other flights and will be given warning in advance. They have also advised travellers to check the status of their flights with the easyJet flight tracker.

The other airlines which could be hit by the strike action have not yet given out any public advice on what their service status will be. It is worth contacting them directly and ensuring they have your most up-to-date contact information.