Flight cancellations: Easyjet, Ryanair, and ITA Airways suspend flights as Italian workers strike

Travellers face more chaos as thousands of Italian airline workers prepare to strike today.

Faced with a cabin crew walk-out, multiple budget airlines have cancelled Wednesday flights to and from Italy.

EasyJet has canned 20 Gatwick flights scheduled for today, including departures to Bologna, Milan, Naples, Rome and Venice.

Ryanair has cancelled 14 flights between London and Milan, and several flights between Italy and Stansted Airport.

In statements, both airlines promised to do “all they can” to minimise disruption, but insisted that strike action is “outside of (their) control.”

Unionised air traffic controllers at multiple Italian airports will also strike for 24 hours today, leading Italian carrier ITA Airways to cancel 81 flights.

The industrial action comes after weeks of chaos at European airports, with travellers trapped in snaking queues for up to seven hours.

Pilots and flight attendants of Volotea, EasyJet and Ryanair (including sister airlines Malta Air and Crewlink) will walk off the job between 10am to 2pm (CEST) today.

Meanwhile, air traffic controllers at multiple Italian airports will strike for an entire 24 hours, returning to work on June 9.

The striking staff are members of Filt (Italian Federation of Transport Workers) and Uiltrasporti (Italian Union of Transport Workers, or UILT).

In a joint statement, the unions blamed poor pay conditions for the Industrial action.

“Among the issues are… arbitrary reductions of paychecks, the non-payment of sick days, the company’s refusal to grant leave during the summer season, and the lack of water and meals for the crew,” the statement read.

UILT said that if an agreement is not reached, “this will be only the first of a series of protest actions that will make the