The Traveller's Magazine
Thousands of flights were grounded and cancelled due to a 4-hour strike by air traffic controllers on Saturday, affecting hundreds of flights to the UK.
Controllers from the LICSA union stopped working between 12:30pm and 4:30pm in response to plans for a “Single European Sky” which they believe will jeopardise safety and cost jobs as well. The initiative has triggered dozens of strikes over the years and the weekend saw thousands of flights to London and the rest of the UK disrupted due to the strike.
While the strike took place in Italy, flight services to London, Manchester and Liverpool were greatly affected, with Ryanair cancelling 96 flights and easyJet cancelling 18 to and from the UK. BA cancelled flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Rome, Milan and Verona and planned to use larger aircraft in order to accommodate more passengers on their routes.
Unfortunately, low cost airlines don’t have that luxury, leaving many stranded in Italy over the weekend, only able to return early this week.
