Pilots and cabin crew from several low-cost carriers will hold a one-day strike in Italy on 17 July. The move follows an announcement earlier this week of a four-hour national strike by air traffic control staff on the same day. 

Unions representing staff from Ryanair, EasyJet, Volotea and MaltaAir have called the industrial action following a break-down in talks with Italy’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. According to local news reports, union leaders are petitioning for improved working conditions and better pay.

The national air traffic control strike, meanwhile, has been organised by five unions, FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL, Uiltrasporti, UGL-TA and UNIC, and is set to take place from 2pm to 6pm. Italian air traffic control, ENAV, said it will ensure essential services are provided in compliance with current regulation.

In recent weeks Italian airports have largely managed to evade negative headlines surrounding the travel chaos unfolding across Europe, but major air transport hubs in Milan and Venice are gearing up for disruption on Sunday, posting warnings to potential travellers on their respective websites.

The industrial action follows a two-day taxi strike in Italy earlier this month and is the latest in a series of strikes by aviation and transport workers in Europe. 

Ryanair cabin staff in several European cities recently went on strike citing poor working conditions, while staff in Spain will walk off the job again this month with strikes planned from 12 to 15, 18 to 21 and 25 to 28 July. 

EasyJet staff in Spain have also planned industrial action this month, while a strike by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) pilots has caused the airline to cancel around 50 per cent of its flights and file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US.

This follows a three-day strike by pilots and cabin crew at Brussels Airlines, the Belgian subsidiary of Lufthansa, in June. British Airways workers threatened similar action at Heathrow last month before the airline offered an ‘improved’ pay deal to check-in staff.

Bedlam was also found across Europe’s rail networks, with recent strikes in France and the UK causing major disruption – the later affected the entire national network for a week. The dispute about pay and jobs continues in the UK as another strike, set for 27 July, was announced this week.