500 Flights Canceled in Italy amid Walkouts

DALLAS - Hundreds of flights were canceled on Sunday as a result of four-hour walkouts by Italian air traffic controllers and employees of low-cost carriers.

About 500 flights were canceled, union official Fabrizio Cuscito told Italian state television. According to the representative, airline employees want greater salaries as well as better working conditions, such as meals during long shifts.

The strikes, according to the Italian transport ministry, were called by employees of Ryanair (FR), easyJet (U2), and Volotea (V7). The air traffic controllers' walkout, which lasted four hours as well, commenced an hour before that strike at 2 p.m. (1200 GMT).

Italy's airports have suffered less disruption this summer compared to those in other Western European nations. This is mostly due to the fact that many Italian airline and airport employees earned government benefits while not working during the COVID-19 pandemic, as opposed to losing their jobs, as it frequently occurred in other nations.

Then demand for travel skyrocketed, and several airlines and airports struggled to staff up quickly enough to handle the influx of passengers in what became this year's summer of travel chaos.

Featured image: Volotea EC-NQN Airbus A320. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways