Some flight connections, for example from Rome-Fiumicino to Munich, Cologne, Hamburg or Frankfurt, are canceled during the period of the walkout.
(Photo: dpa)
Rome Due to strikes at airports and in air traffic, passengers in Italy have to be prepared for some severe restrictions on Saturday. Travelers from Germany are also affected. The ground staff, who are responsible for handling and check-in services, among other things, are on strike from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Italian consumer protection association Codacons estimated that around 1,000 flight connections and more than 250,000 passengers could be affected by the strike.
Hundreds of flights – including those to and from Germany – have already been cancelled. Chaos is expected at the airports. Some flight connections, for example 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. In addition to the ground staff, the Malta Air pilots, who control 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. Europe’s largest direct airline Ryanair had previously announced that the strike would result in flight cancellations and restrictions on flights to and from Italy.
This is the second strike in Italy, after a nationwide rail strike on Thursday, affecting thousands of people and causing problems in public transport. The strikes hit Italy in the middle of the peak tourist season and during a heatwave with high temperatures.
In Belgium, several flights are canceled due to strikes by Ryanair pilots. 120 flights to and from Brussels Charleroi Airport were affected, the Belgian news agency Belga reported on Saturday. The pilots are therefore demanding that their salaries be brought back to the level before the Covid 19 pandemic. During the pandemic, they had accepted temporary pay cuts to support Europe’s largest direct airline, Ryanair. The pilots also complained about problems with their rest times, as Belgian media reported.
120 Ryanair flights canceled
After several meetings between pilot representatives and Ryanair failed to resolve the conflict, 80 percent of Ryanair pilots at Brussels Charleroi Airport – about 50 kilometers south of the Belgian capital Brussels – went on strike. Of the 120 canceled flights, 62 were scheduled for Saturday and 58 for Sunday. Ryanair does not offer flights from Brussels Charleroi to destinations in Germany.
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