London Gatwick Airport: This is why flights to and from Italy have been so severely disrupted today

Holidaymakers planning on travelling to or from Italy from Gatwick Airport today (Friday, September 8) have been faced with numerous cancellations and delays due to industrial action in the southern European nation.
By Matt Pole
Published 8th Sep 2023, 08:35 BST
Updated 8th Sep 2023, 08:36 BST
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Ground crew and airport workers have gone on strike for 24 hours, starting at midnight, in a row over pay and working conditions.

Italian response service Crisis 24 said labour unions CUB, UGL, FLAI, FIT, CISL, and USB, which represent airport workers, are demanding increased pay in line with rising inflation and better job security.

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Crisis 24 said further airport staff strikes in Italy have been announced for September 16 and September 29.

Holidaymakers planning on travelling to or from Italy from Gatwick Airport today (Friday, September 8) have been faced with numerous cancellations and delays due to industrial action in the southern European nation. Picture by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty ImagesHolidaymakers planning on travelling to or from Italy from Gatwick Airport today (Friday, September 8) have been faced with numerous cancellations and delays due to industrial action in the southern European nation. Picture by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
Holidaymakers planning on travelling to or from Italy from Gatwick Airport today (Friday, September 8) have been faced with numerous cancellations and delays due to industrial action in the southern European nation. Picture by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images

EasyJet have warned passengers of delays, but have not outright cancelled all outbound flights to Italy.

Ryanair have issued a similar warning to easyJet, but have taken the extra step of cancelling all flights to the popular holiday destination.

An statement from easyJet said: “We have been advised of a national strike action in Italy on Friday 8th September which may affect critical areas in the airport.

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“We expect that there may be delays and some disruption due to the industrial action, therefore we advise all customers to check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker, either on our mobile app or website: www.easyjet.com/en/flight-tracker.

“Although this situation is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to any affected passengers for the inconvenience caused.”

A statement on Ryanair’s website said: “Due to a 24hr 3rd party ground handling strike in Italy this Fri (8 Sep), Ryanair regrets to inform customers that we have been forced to cancel a small number of flights to/from Italy and some customers may also experience delays on Fri (8 Sep) as a result of this 3rd party ground handling strike.

“Affected customers will be notified via email as soon as possible. We sincerely apologise to customers for these delays/cancellations which are beyond our control and are a direct result of this 3rd party ground handling strike.

“Our teams are working hard to minimise inconvenience and disruption to our passengers. Please check your Ryanair app for latest flight updates.”

Related topics:ItalyHolidaymakersRyanair