Sunday July 17 one strike by Ryanair, EasyJet and Volotea, to which are also added the air traffic controllers, risks paralyzing the Italian skies. While chaos continues to rage in airports around the world, with canceled flights, very long delays and enormous crowds at boarding, another strike arrives - yet another - which risks further exacerbating travellers' inconveniences.
Air strike July 17: information
On Sunday 17 July there will actually be more than one strike. The most important will concern the three main European low-cost airlines – Ryanair, EasyJet and Volotea – and the air traffic controllers. All protests will have a duration of 4 hours, from 14 to 18 pm.
Enav also announced that several local strikes are planned at the same time:
- Brindisi Area Control Center – three separate strike actions called by FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL / Uiltrasporti / UGL-TA and UNICA;
- Milan Area Control Center – organized by UGL-TA and UNICA;
- Padua Area Control Center – organized by UNICA;
- Rome Area Control Center – two separate strike actions called by UGL-TA / UNICA;
- Bologna Airport – three separate strike actions called by FIT-CISL / UGL-TA / UNICA;
- Lamezia Terme Airport – organized by UGL-TA and UNICA;
- Naples Airport – organized by UGL-TA;
- Perugia Airport – organized by UGL-TA;
- Pescara Airport – organized by UNICA;
- Brindisi airport – organized by UNICA;
- Ciampino Airport – organized by UGL-TA and UNICA;
- Turin Caselle Airport – organized by Uiltrasporti, UGL-TA and UNICA.
The Ryanair strike of 17 July
To create the greatest inconvenience for passengers will be the strike by Ryanair and its subsidiary CrewLink, organized by Filt-Cgil and Uiltrasporti. The low-cost airline has confirmed that the planes will remain grounded Sunday 17 July, from 14 to 18 pm.
"To date, in the absence of concrete initiatives in the direction of improving working conditions and adjusting wages, the strike by Ryanair pilots and flight attendants remains confirmed on Sunday 17", said the national secretary of FILT CGIL, Fabrizio Cuscito, explaining that during the meeting held this week with the Ministry of Infrastructure, the unions asked "to convene a discussion with the low cost companies to verify compliance with the application of article 203 of the Relaunch Decree on theapplication of minimum wages, provided for by the national contract for air transport".
The workers who are in Italy claim “contracts that guarantee decent working conditions” and “wages at least in line with the minimum wages established by the national contract for air transport in our country, as required by law”, said the trade unions.
Consumer protests
"It is right for workers to claim their rights, but blocking air travel during the summer is unacceptable". This was stated by the president of Assoutenti, Furio Truzzi. “Suspending flights when millions of citizens travel by plane to reach holiday resorts is a hostile act towards users who risk losing vacation days and money unfairly – explains Truzzi – We ask workers to find alternative solutions that do not harm consumers and we invoke the intervention of the Guarantor for strikes, so that a guarantee range is introduced that will ensure flights until next September 15th, banning any trade union protests during the hot period of summer departures". “If new strikes are called during the summer holiday period, we are ready for criminal complaints and any legal action to protect passengers, and we will call on the airlines to compensate for damages caused by a ruined holiday” – concludes Truzzi.
“Sunday is a strike that I take the liberty of defining as truly idiotic, it only goes to the detriment of the citizens. At this moment in which there is all this discomfort in flights, I find it really unintelligent to aggravate the situation with a strike. This is a moment in which we should create a system”. Statements intended to discuss those of the executive president of Ita Airways, Alfredo Altavilla.
Chaos at airports
Meanwhile the airline industry continues to face a chaos that seems to have no solution. For weeks, throughout Europe but also in other parts of the world, flight cancellations and long delays have occurred daily, with very long queues at boarding and overcrowding in the baggage claim areas. Heathrow, the largest British airport and one of the main airports in the world, will limit air traffic for two months, introducing a maximum limit of 100 passengers per day and asking airlines to stop selling tickets for summer 2022.
But how did this situation come about? The main problem is that, despite the war and the resurgence of infections from Covid, passenger volume has returned to pre-pandemic levels, but airports and airlines weren't ready. On the contrary, there is a serious shortage of personnel in various sectors everywhere: not only flight attendants and ground staff, but also baggage handling, catering and private security companies.
In Italy, the problems shared with the rest of Europe are compounded by the difficulties for tourists who, once they arrive, struggle to find a taxi to take them to their destination due to the protests by taxi drivers against Del Concorrenza.
