Airport strike, 16 October 2026

Strikes at Venice, Pisa and Florence airports on 16 October

Usually no compensation, always care. Airport staff do not work for the airline, and the Court of Justice has said a strike by them may be an extraordinary circumstance. Meals, a hotel when needed and the choice of a refund are owed whatever the cause.

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General information, not legal advice. Not a promise of payment.

What has been announced

Two 24-hour airport strikes in Italy are listed for Friday 16 October 2026. At Venice Marco Polo airport, staff of the company Sicuritalia IVRI are called out from 00:00 to 23:59 by the union FISASCAT-CISL. At Pisa and Florence airports, staff of the companies Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta are called out for 24 hours by the union USB Lavoro Privato. The listings do not name flights. This page describes the notices as they stood on 5 October 2026.

Source: Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, strike calendar, read on 5 October 2026.

What the strike calendar says

The strike calendar of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport lists both notices in Italian, under the sector “Aereo” (air transport). Venice, union “OST FISASCAT-CISL”: “PERSONALE SOC. SICURITALIA IVRI AEROPORTO MARCO POLO DI VENEZIA”, “24 ORE: DALLE 00.00 ALLE 23.59”, called on 22 September 2026. Pisa and Florence, union “OSR USB LAVORO PRIVATO”: “PERSONALE SOCC. TOSCANA AEROPORTI, GH TOSCANA E CONSULTA OPERANTI PRESSO GLI AEROPORTI DI PISA E FIRENZE”, “24 ORE”, called on 28 September 2026. In English: staff of the company Sicuritalia IVRI at Venice Marco Polo airport, 24 hours from 00:00 to 23:59; staff of the companies Toscana Aeroporti, GH Toscana and Consulta working at the airports of Pisa and Florence, 24 hours.

The strike calendar, read on 5 October 2026.

What EU 261 says

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 excuses an airline from paying compensation if it proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken (Article 5(3)). In Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20), paragraph 42, the Court of Justice gave strikes by airport staff as an example of what may be such a circumstance. The airline still has to prove it, and to show that it took all reasonable measures.

Owed whatever the cause

Extraordinary circumstances excuse the compensation only. For a cancellation, you still have the choice between a refund and another flight, meals and drinks, two calls or messages, and a hotel and the transfer to it if the new flight leaves the next day or later (Article 5(1)). For a long delay, care is owed by the hours below (Article 6). The UK kept the same rules after leaving the EU.

While you wait: Meals and drinks are owed from 2 h on short flights, 4 h on the longest.
Refund or rebooking: From 5 h: you can give up the trip and get the unused fare back in 7 days.
When nothing is owed: No compensation if the cause was outside the airline's control — weather, air-traffic control, or someone else's strike. Meals and a hotel are owed anyway.

These are the lines AirwayControl shows for a route under EU 261, word for word. The table of causes has what the courts have said about each.

What to do today

Keep everything. Boarding pass, the airline's messages, and receipts for meals, taxis and a hotel. Costs can be repaid even when compensation is not.
Ask the airline in writing. Ask what caused the disruption and what measures it took. The claim template asks for both, and you send it from your own email.
Still no? Take it to the complaints body in the country you departed from. The time limit depends on the country.

AirwayControl

Or let the app fill it in.

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It tells you when it matters. A notification when your flight lands three hours late or more.
It knows which rules cover your route. EU 261, UK 261 and the rules of 18 more countries, in plain words.
It fills in the claim. Airline, flight number, date and route come from My Flight.
You send it. From your own email, or through the airline's own claim form with every answer ready to copy.
No fee and no share. AirwayControl never takes a part of what you receive.

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Questions people ask

Is compensation owed for an airport strike?

Usually not, because a strike by airport staff may be an extraordinary circumstance. The airline has to prove it. Meals, a hotel when needed and the choice of a refund are owed either way.

Am I owed a hotel if my flight is cancelled?

EU 261 says a hotel and the transfer to it are owed when a cancellation moves you to the next day or a long delay keeps you overnight, whatever caused it. Extraordinary circumstances excuse the compensation, not the care.

Is AirwayControl a claims company?

No. It tells you which rules cover your route and writes the claim, and you send it from your own email. AirwayControl never sends or handles a claim for you, and takes no share.

When something goes wrong

Today's rules, problem by problem. The main guide covers delays and cancellations, and the checker shows which rules cover your route.

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General information about air passenger rules, not legal advice and not a promise of payment. Your airline decides; a complaints body decides on appeal. AirwayControl never submits or handles claims: the mail is yours, from your own account. Rules last checked 9 August 2026. The regulation and the judgments named on this page were read in full on 3 October 2026.

Sources: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and the European Union's own guide to air passenger rights. Court of Justice of the European Union, Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20): the judgment.