Christmas travel chaos warning as strikes to rock Europe

Those hoping to jet off across Europe this Christmas and New Year may see their plans rocked by a sea of strikes.

Europe widely protects the right to strike and as a result protests are a regular occurrence whether they are announced months in advance or last minute.

Europe might be marred with some travel disruptions this festive season, so it’s always wise to check for any disruptions before you travel.

Here is the full list of cities where travel strikes are planned.

Italy: Nationwide train, tram and plane strikes:

A planned 24-hour general strike on all airline, rail and public transport services will take place on December 13.

Ferry services to Sicily and Sardinia and motorway toll booth services may also be affected by delays and cancellations.

The industrial action was organised to protest against the the government’s economic policies which union leaders say cause a “dramatic worsening of working conditions” and “increase social inequalities”.

Deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini called for the strike to be reduced to four hours, in a post on X he said that “the rights of workers, citizens, students and people undergoing [medical] treatment must also be respected, especially in a critical time such as the pre-Christmas period”, adding that “common sense is needed”.

However the USB union has said that it will defy Salvini’s order and that the strike will go ahead as planned.

Commuters in Italy’s cities can also expect delays and cancellations due to a four-hour national public transport strike on January 10, which the FAISA-CONFAIL union has called.

Those in Italy will still not be able to breathe easily as staff at Gest, who operates the trams in Florence, are planning a 24-hour protest on January 25.

France: Trains and ports could be disrupted over Christmas

A stike affecting train travellers began yesterday, December 11, and with an end date not being fixed it is likely the industrial action could last until Christmas.

France: EasyJet strike

French easyJet workers filed an indefinite strike notice over the company’s plan to close its Toulouse hub. The strikes began in September and are due to run up until December 16.

More strike action could hit easyJet operations across the country in the coming weeks.

Scotland: Edinburgh workers threaten three-week walkout

Fuel tank workers for North Air based at Edinburgh Airport are threatening to walk out for nearly three weeks over a pay dispute.

The Unite union says the walk-out will begin at 5am on December 18 – exactly a week before Christmas. It will end at the same time on January 6.

This 19-day stretch takes in the expected busiest days of the winter at the capital’s busiest airport, disrupting those who plan to travel this Christmas and New year.

Across Europe: Finnair flights cancelled

Finnair has cancelled 300 flights on December 9 and December 13, affecting around 33,000 air passengers due to a strike called by the Finnish Air Line Pilots Association. The airline has warned that this may also impact flights on either side of these two strike days.