Stansted Airport Ryanair flight delays as Italian transport strikes to cause disruption

Ryanair flights might be affected by the strikes
-Credit:Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror


A strike in Italian transport tomorrow (January 10), is set to cause disruption to flights from Stansted. Baggage handling staff at three Italian airports are expected to strike, with two affecting flights flying into and out of Stansted Airport.

Tomorrow’s strikes are being called “Venerdì Nero” or "Black Friday" following the Italian Ministry of Transport announcing that baggage handling staff at Venice Marco Polo, Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa airports are set to strike from midnight for 24 hours. The action is backed by two of Italy’s major transport sector unions. In addition, travellers to Rome and Milan may be affected by further strike action on Friday affecting the cities’ train, bus, subway and tram services.

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Anton Radchenko, CEO of air travel compensation specialists AirAdvisor explains: “The Italian aviation industry has faced significant unrest among its workforce in recent months with staff at numerous airports striking, this latest wave of action by baggage handling staff threatens to derail the travel plans of anyone travelling to and from the country.

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“The process of getting people on and off a plane requires a team effort between airline and airport staff, if a key component of that team, like baggage handling staff is removed from the process - there are bound to be problems. Airports may bring in external staff to replace the striking baggage handlers, however these personnel are often less experienced than regular staff, slowing down the departure process and causing flights to leave later than planned.

Flights which might be affected are as follows:

-Three Ryanair flights departing from Stansted Airport to Milan Malpensa
-Three Ryanair flights departing from Milan Malpensa to Stansted
- Three Ryanair flights departing from Stansted to Venice Marco Polo
- Three Ryanair flights departing from Venice Marco Polo to Stansted

A spokesperson for Ryanair commented: "Due to a third-party ground handling strike affecting Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) on Friday January 10, we have been forced to cancel a small number of flights to/from Milan Malpensa and make schedule changes to a small number of others. Passengers affected by cancellations/schedule changes have been notified of their options via email/SMS.

"Additionally, we are monitoring potential delays for flights to/from Milan Malpensa on Fri 10 Jan as a result of the strike. Passengers affected by delays will be notified via the Ryanair app. We ask all passengers due to travel to/from Milan Malpensa (MXP) on January 10 to keep an eye on the Ryanair app for the latest updates. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this strike, which is outside of our control."

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