Photo: ANP
A strike by Italy’s air traffic control caused the cancellation of flights across Europe, including in Schiphol. For example, KLM canceled five return flights on Wednesday due to the promotion. Passengers have been rebooked. A look at the departure boards shows that some EasyJet flights from Schiphol to Italy have also been cancelled.
According to Italian media, there were several simultaneous strikes on Wednesday. Actions are not only taken by air traffic control. Pilots and cabin crew at budget airlines Volotea, easyJet and Ryanair in Italy have stopped operating.
The unions had earlier issued a call to employees to strike for several hours on Wednesday. The companies had separate complaints. But the common denominator was that employees wanted more salaries and better arrangements, for example, applying for time off.
And easyJet, among others, had already issued a warning about the strike on its website. People traveling to and from Italy have been advised to closely monitor their current flight information.
The overall effect is not entirely clear. Dozens of flights have been canceled from the UK, according to British newspapers. Italian media once again showed that the number of cancellations at a major intersection like Milan was at one point estimated at no less than 230. But air traffic control has not completely closed, some flights have been routed through airspace as usual.
