Air traffic control strikes 10 days before Christmas threatens Europe-wide chaos

Passengers travelling to and from Italy connected Sunday December 15 could beryllium impacted by nationwide aerial postulation power strikes, with the concern enactment expected to origin wide delays and cancellations crossed the country

Air travellers person been issued a informing wide strikes acceptable to paralyse a nation's skies and person knock-on effects for 24 hours connected Sunday, December 15.

Starting from midnight, Techno Sky employees, who are successful complaint of the technological infrastructure for Italy's aerial navigation services, volition down tools for an full day. The company, with a workforce of 800, is liable for the creaseless moving of 45 airports passim Italy. Additionally, aerial postulation controllers astatine Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, and Bergamo Orio al Serio airports are readying a four-hour walkout from 1pm to 5pm section time.

Two of Italy’s large transport unions, FILT-CGIL and UILT-UIL, are backing these concern actions. AirAdvisor CEO Anton Radchenko, whose institution assists passengers successful claiming compensation for disrupted flights, commented connected the imaginable chaos: "Nationwide aerial postulation power strikes tin person an highly damaging effect connected a country’s quality to efficaciously negociate arrivals and departures astatine airports. They tin extremity up causing wide delays and cancellations impacting galore countries and airlines."

He besides recalled a caller incidental wherever 1 country's strikes had a knock-on interaction crossed the Continent. "In April this year, Ryanair was forced to cancel 300 flights crossed Europe flights arsenic a effect of French aerial postulation controllers striking, affecting 50,000 passengers. It’s wholly imaginable that this enactment successful Italy could person a akin effect," Anton said.

"British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizz Air each alert to Italy from the UK and if you’re owed to question to the state connected December 15th, hole for delays and cancellations. As we saw with the French aerial postulation power strikes successful April, it’s not conscionable flights successful the state wherever concern enactment is taking spot that tin beryllium affected - strikes similar these tin person a existent domino effect. They could extremity up causing question misery for pre-Christmas travellers.

"In 2023, an estimated 16,000 flights were cancelled with 85,000 delayed arsenic a effect of aerial postulation power strikes successful Europe. Because of this, erstwhile aerial postulation power strikes are imminent, we counsel passengers to download their airline's app and motion up for email oregon SMS alerts to enactment informed astir however the strikes could impact their question plans."

"If you’re astatine the airdrome and your formation is delayed oregon cancelled, inquire your airline’s unit what caused the hold oregon cancellation and enactment down their answer. This volition service arsenic supporting documentation if you take to record a assertion for compensation."

Under existent EU Regulation 261, passengers affected by delays and cancellations whitethorn beryllium owed up to £520 successful compensation for the inconvenience caused to their question plans.

It was reported earlier this week that a large European hose has had to axe hundreds of flights owed to aviator strikes. Finnair is bracing for a monolithic deed to its pre-Christmas question docket arsenic its aviators corroborate onslaught enactment connected December 9 and 13, 2024. The hose has been forced to crushed astir 300 flights, leaving astir 33,000 passengers successful the lurch.

The strikes are expected to origin important upheaval, perchance affecting further services successful the days surrounding the concern action. Around 30 flights to and from the UK person been cancelled, meaning thousands of Brits volition beryllium affected. Finnair's Chief Operating Officer Jaakko Schildt said: "We’re disappointed that the pilots’ relation has chosen to onslaught alternatively of continuing negotiations. This disrupts vacation question for thousands of customers during the pre-Christmas period. We’re moving hard to service our customers successful this challenging concern and volition supply alternate flights wherever possible."