30 September 2026Strike outside the airline (ATC, airport, security staff)
Italy ENAV air traffic control strike disrupts flights, 30 September
WHAT'S HAPPENING
- ENAV air traffic controllers held strike action in Italy on 30 September.
- ITA Airways cancelled about 29 percent of its scheduled flights because of the strike.
- Air Europa cancelled four flights, while services at Italian airports including Naples were affected.
- The strike ended on 30 September.
- Air Europa cancelled four flights and ITA Airways cut nearly a third of its operations during the 30 September air traffic controllers' strike.
Sources: Travel Tourister · Demócrata
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR CLAIM
COMPENSATION: UNLIKELY — CARE STILL OWED
A strike by air traffic control, airport, or security staff is outside the airline's control and normally counts as an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is usually not owed. Care and rerouting duties still apply in full — the airline must feed you, house you if necessary, and get you to your destination or refund you.
Basis: Recital 14, Regulation 261/2004
WHATEVER THE CAUSE, YOU'RE OWED
- Meals and refreshments after 2–4 hours' wait (by flight distance), plus hotel and transfers if you are delayed overnight.
- On cancellation: the choice between rerouting as soon as possible, rerouting at a later date, or a full refund within 7 days.
- If the airline provides no care, keep receipts — reasonable expenses are reimbursable.
- These duties apply even when the disruption itself is extraordinary.
CAUGHT IN THIS RIGHT NOW?
- Open the Black Box and record what the airline tells you — especially the reason. The exact wording decides the extraordinary-circumstances question later.
- Ask for rerouting in writing (app chat or email), and keep every receipt.
- Once you know your final delay, check your flight and generate the letter.
- Airline already replied with an excuse? Decode it.
This page explains the rules that generally apply to this type of disruption. Airlines assess each claim on its own facts; eligibility for a specific flight depends on its circumstances.