A strike by aviation workers in Italy has caused further disruption for holidaymakers.
Airlines cancelled dozens of flights between the UK and Italy on Wednesday, as easyJet, British Airways and Ryanair were affected. London airports saw many cancellations, as easyJet axed 20 flights from Gatwick, including departures to Bologna, Milan, Naples, Rome and Venice.
The budget airline told passengers: "Although this is outside of our control, we would like to reassure customers that we are doing all possible to minimise any disruption that may occur as a result of the strike action.” Some 14 flights between London airports and Milan were cancelled by British Airways, while Ryanair scrapped a handful of flights between Italy and Stansted.
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However, a spokesperson for Liverpool John Lennon Airport told the ECHO that the airport does not appear to have been affected by the strikes. At the time of writing, Thursday and Friday's Ryanair flights from Liverpool to Rome Fiumicino appear to be operating as normal.
Likewise, Friday's Ryanair flight from Liverpool to Milan Bergamo appears to be running as usual.
A Ryanair spokesman 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 apologise for any inconvenience they will inevitably cause.”
Aviation workers who are members of two Italian unions are staging a strike from 10am until 2pm over various issues including pay, sick pay, time off and refreshments. One of the unions, the Italian Union of Transport Workers (UILT), has warned that if an agreement is not reached, “this will be only the first of a series of protest actions”.
British Airways and easyJet continued to cancel flights to and from other locations other than Italy due to staff shortages. Liverpool John Lennon Airport was hit by cancellations on Sunday, as easyJet pulled three incoming flights and two departing. Regarding the easyJet cancellations, a Liverpool Airport spokesperson told the ECHO: "Whilst we’ve seen some easyJet flights cancelled due to the ongoing issues they have faced nationally, we’ve seen relatively few cancellations here compared to other UK airports, but we continue to recommend that passengers check the status of their flight directly with easyJet for the latest information."
