Italy Transport Strike To Disrupt Travel November 28

Published on Nov 20, 2025, 9:07 am CSTUpdated on Nov 20, 2025, 9:07 am CST

9 min read

Key points

Italy will see a 24 hour general transport strike on November 28, 2025
Flights, trains, highways, and local transit will all face cancellations and delays
Rail services are set to be reduced from 9:00 p.m. November 27 to 9:00 p.m. November 28
Protected time bands should keep some flights and regional trains running during peak hours
Travelers with tight connections in Rome and Milan should rework itineraries in advance

Impact

Flight Operations: Expect clusters of cancellations and retimings at major Italian airports outside protected time bands, with thinner seat availability before and after the strike day
Rail Services: Long distance and regional trains will see widespread cancellations during the 24 hour rail stoppage window, so travelers should avoid same day rail connections where possible
Local Transit: Metro, tram, and bus services will operate unevenly under local strike plans, increasing the risk of missed airport and station transfers in big cities
Connections And Routing: Itineraries that rely on cross city or same station transfers on November 28 will be fragile, and rerouting via alternative hubs or shifting dates will cut risk
Business Travel Planning: Corporate travelers should treat the November 27 to 28 window as high risk for time sensitive meetings and events, and build remote fallback options

Travelers heading to or connecting through Italy on Friday, November 28, 2025 face a nationwide transport strike that will hit flights, trains, highways, and city transit, turning tight connections into a high risk bet unless plans are adjusted early. Italian strike calendars and local media confirm a 24 hour general strike called by base unions, anchored around November 28 but already affecting rail and motorway staff from the evening of November 27, with air traffic control, airline crews, rail workers, and local transit operators all involved.

In practice, the disruption will not be uniform. Italian law requires a minimum level of "essential" services at certain times, and operators are publishing guaranteed flight and train lists for the day. Even so, the combination of nationwide industrial action, compressed schedules around protected windows, and already busy late November traffic means that travelers who keep tight itineraries on November 28 should expect longer lines, crowded trains, and a higher risk of missed connections.

Italy Transport Networks Face Coordinated Walkout

The strike on November 28 is a general action across public and private sectors, led by more radical base unions such as Unione Sindacale di Base, alongside other grassroots federations including CUB and COBAS. Official strike calendars and Italian news outlets describe it as a nationwide action covering aviation, rail, motorways, and local public transport, with unions framing the protest around wage demands, pension rules, and opposition to the 2026 budget and foreign policy.

According to summaries based on the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport strike register, the rail stoppage will run from 900 p.m. on Thursday, November 27 to 900 p.m. on Friday, November 28, affecting Trenitalia, Italo, and other operators across Italy. Motorway personnel are expected to strike from 1000 p.m. on November 27 to 1000 p.m. on November 28, raising the risk of slow toll plazas and limited roadside assistance. Local public transport is scheduled for 24 hour actions on November 28, implemented city by city, which typically means uneven metro, tram, and bus frequencies.

Several corporate travel advisories and strike trackers are already telling business travelers to treat the whole November 27 to 28 window as a high risk period, noting that the November 28 general strike will extend previous aviation and transit actions earlier in the month and will be broader than routine single sector stoppages.

Airport And Flight Impacts

Air travel will not shut down completely, but it will be far from normal. Italian media report that the November 28 strike covers air transport staff countrywide, including pilots, cabin crews, and ground handling personnel at major gateways such as Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Milan Linate Airport (LIN), Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport (FLR), and Naples International Airport (NAP).

Aviation specific guidance from Italian outlets says that travelers should expect waves of delays and cancellations across the entire day, with some airports facing targeted actions. For example, ground staff working for Air France and KLM at Malpensa are due to strike from midnight to midnight, and service providers such as cleaning contractors have announced 24 hour walkouts of their own. Corporate risk briefings add that many airlines are planning preemptive schedule cuts and consolidation at Italian airports rather than attempting to operate a full timetable through the strike.

Under Italian rules, certain flights must run even during strikes. Protected services include aircraft serving the islands when they have only one daily frequency, state and military flights, emergency and humanitarian missions, and routes subject to public service obligations. In addition, there are legally mandated "guaranteed bands" for commercial flights, which are normally between 700 a.m. and 1000 a.m., and between 600 p.m. and 900 p.m. local time. Flights scheduled inside those windows should operate, although knock on delays are still possible at the edges of the bands.

For travelers, that means departures outside the guaranteed periods, especially mid day and late evening, carry the greatest cancellation risk. It also means that flights immediately before and after the strike day, for example on Thursday evening and Saturday morning, may run close to full as airlines rebook passengers and condense capacity.

Rail, Metro, And Highway Disruption

On the rails, the 24 hour stoppage from 900 p.m. November 27 to 900 p.m. November 28 will hit both long distance and regional services across the network. Trenitalia and Italo are required to maintain a list of "always guaranteed" trains, particularly in weekday peak hours, but outside those times travelers should expect widespread cancellations, short notice train substitutions, and possible early termination of some services short of their final destination.

Regional rail law typically protects a minimum level of service in the morning and evening commute windows, usually around 600 a.m. to 900 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m., on weekdays. Within those bands at least part of the normal timetable should run, but with reduced frequencies and crowded trains. Outside the peaks, especially late morning, afternoon, and late night, service can thin to a handful of guaranteed trains on key routes only.

Local public transport will vary by city, but nationwide listings show 24 hour actions across buses, trams, and metro lines on November 28, with exact protected windows and service levels published by each operator. Cities such as Rome and Milan are likely to prioritize early morning and evening commuter flows, which could leave mid day metro and tram connections to and from main stations more exposed to cancellations.

On the highways, motorway staff will be on strike from 1000 p.m. November 27 to 1000 p.m. November 28, creating the potential for longer waits at toll booths, reduced roadside assistance, and slower responses to incidents. Drivers using rental cars or transfers on these dates should factor in extra time for major routes, particularly ring roads around large cities.

How Italy's Guaranteed Service Rules Work

Italy's strike laws are designed to balance labor rights with a baseline of continuity for essential public services. In transport, that means operators must maintain a minimum schedule during specified time bands, often called "fasce protette," and must publish lists of trains and flights that will run even during a strike.

For aviation, the protected bands on strike days are typically 700 a.m. to 1000 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m. local time. Flights fully inside those windows should depart, although security queues and residual disruptions from earlier cancellations can still cause delays. For rail and local transit, the protected bands usually align with the morning and evening commute, for example roughly 600 a.m. to 900 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m., with guaranteed trains and metro lines published on official sites of Trenitalia, Italo, and local agencies.

Travelers should not assume that anything outside those hours will run. A train or bus that appears in search results for November 28 may still be canceled closer to departure, and some operators will already be loading strike timetables that build around the protected bands.

Strategies For Rebooking And Rerouting

The safest option for leisure and business trips is to move discretionary travel off Friday, November 28 entirely, shifting arrivals and departures to earlier in the week or to the weekend after the strike. For itineraries that must run on November 28, travelers should work to build slack into every leg.

For flights, that means rebooking to early morning or early evening departures that sit fully inside the guaranteed bands whenever possible, or moving to Thursday or Saturday if an airline waiver allows date changes without fees. Given expected schedule cuts, travelers should avoid tight same day connections at Rome Fiumicino or the Milan airports, and should be wary of self connecting between separate tickets.

For rail, travelers should check the "always guaranteed" lists on Trenitalia and Italo, prefer trains inside commute windows if they must travel on November 28, and avoid itineraries that require same day train changes to reach an airport, cruise departure, or long distance bus. Where possible, repositioning by rail or air the evening before and overnighting near the departure point will reduce exposure to strike day cancellations.

Local transfers are another weak point. Travelers should plan fallback options such as prebooked taxis, ride hail services where available, or longer walking times between central rail hubs and hotels, since metro or tram lines may not be reliable. For drivers on Italian motorways, leaving extra time for toll plazas and potential delays near major junctions will help keep fixed time commitments, such as check in cutoffs and tour departures.

It is also worth noting that Italy currently sits at Level 2 on the U.S. Department of State travel advisory scale, with the primary concern listed as terrorism risk rather than labor unrest. That broader advisory has not changed because of the November strike calendar, although travelers are still encouraged to monitor local media and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

Final thoughts

The November 28 transport strike in Italy will be a broad, coordinated action that touches flights, trains, highways, and local transit, and it falls at a busy point in the late autumn travel calendar. By understanding how guaranteed service windows work, reworking tight connections, and shifting flexible trips off the strike day, travelers can cut the risk of major disruption and keep Italy travel plans on track. The Italy transport strike on November 28, 2025 remains a manageable challenge for those who adjust early, rather than a reason to cancel trips outright.