German vacationers affected
250,000 travelers stranded by strikes at Italy’s airports
07/15/2023, 5:10 p.m
Nothing goes to many airports in Italy anymore. Strikes by ground staff and some pilots cause around 1,000 flights to be cancelled. Flights to and from Germany are also affected. Holidaymakers also have to be patient in Charleroi, Belgium.
Around a thousand flights were canceled in Italy this Saturday due to a strike by ground staff. About 250,000 travelers were affected, according to the authorities. The strike began at 10 a.m. and was expected to last until 6 p.m. There was also an air traffic strike in Belgium. There, 250 flights were canceled at Charleroi Airport in Brussels due to a work stoppage by Ryanair pilots.
200 flights were canceled at Rome Airport this Saturday. In addition to ground staff, Malta Air pilots, who operate Ryanair flights in Italy, are on strike from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Pilots and flight attendants at the low-cost airline Vueling are also on strike on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A total of almost 150 flights were canceled at the two airports in Milan and around 30 each in Turin and Palermo.
Numerous flights to and from Germany have been cancelled. For example, flight connections from Rome-Fiumicino to Munich, Cologne, Hamburg or Frankfurt are canceled during the period of the walkout. Flights to Germany were also canceled from Milan-Malpensa Airport in northern Italy. In addition, flights from German airports to Italy were canceled. German travelers are therefore asked to find out about the status of their flights.
Italian media warn of a “black Saturday” in air traffic. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called on the strikers to use “common sense” so as not to harm “millions of other workers and tourists”.
In Belgium, 20,000 travelers who should have departed or landed at Charleroi Airport were affected, the airport management told the AFP news agency.