MILAN – Hundreds of flights were grounded on Saturday, leaving thousands of flyers with no option but to be left stranded in Europe.
The reason for such chaos was strikes by airports and airlines at the height of the busy summer tourism season.
The severity of the matter could be gauged from the fact that in Italy, about 1,000 flights, both domestic and international, were cancelled as a result of the strike by ground crew while another 120 flights set to depart and arrive from Belgium’s Charleroi airport were also cancelled.
As many as 250,000 travellers were stuck in Italy at a time when Europe is wading through a record heatwave described by the national weather service as “one of the most intense of all time”; estimates say that the temperature could spike to at least 40C (104F) in Italy.
As far as the strike by the ground crew is concerned, they have demanded a new collective contract six years after the previous one expired; it is scheduled to last from 10am (0800 GMT) to 6pm (1600 GMT).
Authorities said the airport in Rome had 200 flights cancelled; flights by Malta Air and Vueling and Ita Airways were also affected after pilots joined the strike; Ryanair posted an apology on its website due to the strike that is “beyond our control.”
National carrier ITA stated it cancelled 133 flights including flights to European destinations such as Madrid, Amsterdam and Barcelona.
The Milan airport also recorded the cancellation of 150 flights while dozens of others were grounded in Turin and Palermo.
Meanwhile, the transport minister, Matteo Salvini, called on those registering protest to exercise “common sense” so as “not to harm millions of other workers and tourists”.
