A series of employee strikes took place across Italy on Wednesday, causing severe disruption to the country's air travel industry. Most notably, unionized air traffic controllers at multiple Italian airports went on strike for up to 24 hours, joined by shorter strikes from cabin crew. We take a look at the impact of the strike below.

Italian workers on strike

Around 360 flights to and from Italy were canceled after Italian aviation workers went on strike this Wednesday. Members of Italian unions FILT-CGIL and UIL Trasporti (UILT) took industrial action in protest against pay and labor conditions.

GettyA Cityjet British Aerospace Avro RJ85 seen landing at Milano
ATC workers across Italy went on strike for up to 24 hours. Photo: Getty Images

Italy's air traffic controllers embarked on the most extensive strike, with many walking out for the full 24 hours on Wednesday. At other airports, including Milan's three airports, ATC workers walked out from 10:00 to 18:00.

Other aviation industry workers, including pilots and cabin crew, went on a four-hour strike from 10:00 to 14:00.

Hundreds of flights canceled

The strikes have caused considerable disruption, affecting thousands of passengers, according to UILT. Several airlines, including Ryanair and easyJet, canceled scores of flights to and from Italy on Wednesday.

A Ryanair spokesperson said,

"Due to air traffic control (ATC) strikes at Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Turin, Verona, Genoa, Cuneo and Parma airports, we have regrettably been forced to cancel a number of flights on Wednesday. These ATC strikes are completely beyond our control, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience they will inevitably cause."

Among the cancelations include over 20 easyJet flights from Gatwick Airport and several Ryanair flights from Stansted Airport.

easyJet said,

"Around 24 flights to and from the UK have been canceled in advance to mitigate the impact on customers’ plans today and provide the option to rebook before traveling to the airport."

National carrier ITA Airways claims it has re-routed 99% of its passengers to avoid the strike and canceled over 80 domestic and international flights.

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Airline employee strikes

Workers from many leading airlines joined the ATC strike on Wednesday, including those from Volotea, easyJet and Ryanair, from 10:00 to 14:00.

Employees have raised complaints about working conditions and pay, including "unacceptable salary cuts" and "a series of unjustifiable layoffs."

Ryanair getty
Ryanair denies that its employees took part in the walkout on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images

A joint statement from the two unions said,

"Among the issues are… arbitrary reductions of paychecks, the non-payment of sick days, the company’s refusal to grant leave during the summer season, and the lack of water and meals for the crew."

Wednesday's strikes could be the first of several demonstrations over the summer, causing huge disruption to an industry already beleaguered with staff shortages and delays.

The Italian Union of Transport Workers (UILT) added,

"In the absence of concrete signs (of improvement), the strike will only be the first in a long series of staged actions which will run through the entire summer."

Italy isn't the only European country affected by planned industrial action. In France, a strike will lead to flight disruption in Paris on June 9th, affecting around 25% of departing flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).

Were your travel plans affected by the strike in Italy? Let us know in the comments.