Italy General Strike November 28 Cuts Trains And Flights

Published on Nov 28, 2025, 9:20 am CST

10 min read

Key points

Italy general strike flights November 28 runs from 9:00 p.m November 27 to 9:00 p.m November 28 and hits rail, local transit, and airports nationwide
Trenitalia, Italo, and Trenord will run only limited guaranteed services in the 6:00 a.m to 9:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m protection windows, with many other trains cancelled
ENAC has published guaranteed flight lists and confirms that flights in the 7:00 a.m to 10:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m protected bands, plus some island links, must operate
ITA Airways has already cancelled more than two dozen domestic flights and airports such as Venice and Naples warn of delays, schedule cuts, and slower handling
Local buses, trams, and metros in major cities face suspensions outside protection windows, and logistics strikes may slow ports, warehouses, and highway services
A second nationwide strike on December 12 led by CGIL will bring another high disruption day, so travelers should avoid both strike dates when rebooking

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the heaviest disruption on long distance and regional rail, domestic flights, and local transit serving Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples, and other major hubs
Best Times To Travel: Aim for trains in the 6:00 a.m to 9:00 a.m or 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m rail windows and flights in the 7:00 a.m to 10:00 a.m or 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m bands, avoiding mid day whenever possible
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Treat any connection through Italian hubs under three hours as high risk on November 28, and avoid separate tickets that split rail and flight segments
Onward Travel And Changes: If you must cross Italy on November 28, consider routing via non Italian hubs, shifting rail to November 29, or using flexible fares that allow free date changes
What Travelers Should Do Now: Check whether your train or flight is on a guaranteed list, move non essential journeys off November 28, and choose dates away from both November 28 and December 12 when rebooking

Some of the links and widgets on this page are affiliates, which means we may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you.

Italy general strike flights November 28 is now moving from warning to live disruption as a 24 hour walkout cuts trains, local transit, and airport links in Rome, Milan, Venice, and other cities from 900 p.m. on November 27 to 900 p.m. on November 28, 2025. Travelers using long distance and regional rail, domestic flights, and airport transfer services face the heaviest impact, especially outside legally protected windows when only guaranteed trains and flights operate. Most visitors should add buffer, move flexible trips off the strike day, or reroute via less affected hubs if they cannot avoid Italy on November 28.

The Italy general strike flights November 28 alert means that anyone crossing the country needs to navigate reduced rail schedules, protected air and rail service windows, and rolling local shutdowns that can easily break tight connections unless they rework plans in advance.

What The November 28 Strike Covers

The November 28 general strike is a nationwide labor action led by grassroots unions including CUB, USB, COBAS, UNICOBAS, and allied groups, aimed at government budget policies, cost of living pressures, and foreign policy positions. The walkout runs from 900 p.m. on Thursday, November 27, through 900 p.m. on Friday, November 28, and covers both public and private sectors, from central government offices to transport, schools, and healthcare.

Transport is at the core of the impact. Rail companies Trenitalia, Italo, and Trenord have all warned that many long distance and regional trains will be cancelled outside narrow guaranteed time bands. Airport staff, ground handlers, and some air traffic support workers are participating, and airport operators in cities such as Venice and Naples have told passengers to expect delays, cancellations, and slower check in and baggage handling.

On top of the November 28 walkout, Italy will face a second nationwide strike on December 12 led by the larger CGIL union, which focuses mainly on the 2026 budget and public service funding, creating a two strike calendar that winter travelers now need to factor into bookings.

Rail And Metro Impacts, Plus Guaranteed Trains

For rail, the key rule is that the strike period runs 900 p.m. November 27 to 900 p.m. November 28, but essential services must still operate in limited windows. Regional authorities and operators say that rail services are guaranteed between 600 a.m. and 900 a.m., and again between 600 p.m. and 900 p.m., with very slim offerings at other times. Outside those bands, many Trenitalia, Italo, and Trenord trains are cancelled or subject to last minute changes.

Italo has published a detailed list of guaranteed high speed services on November 28, including key city pairs such as Rome Termini to Milan Centrale, Naples Centrale to Milan Centrale, Venice Santa Lucia to Milan Centrale, and long distance services linking Turin, Salerno, Bolzano, and Reggio di Calabria. These trains concentrate in the same morning and evening protection windows, leaving midday options sparse and vulnerable to additional disruption.

Trenord, which serves the Lombardy region and feeds Milan's airports and commuter belt, has separately urged passengers to check its guaranteed train list and warns that many airport and suburban services will not run during the strike. Rail booking platforms such as Omio and Rail Europe are echoing the advice that all long distance and regional routes can be affected, with full refunds available when trains are cancelled.

Urban rail and metro systems in Rome, Milan, and other large cities are also subject to the strike. Where local rules apply, metro and tram operations are typically guaranteed for short morning and evening rush hour windows only, with suspensions or very low frequency service in between. That matters for airport transfer reliability, especially on metro and rail links into Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Milan Linate Airport (LIN), and Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE).

Flights, Airport Links, And Protected Windows

In the air, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, ENAC, has activated its guaranteed flight regime for the November 28 strike. Under Italian law and ENAC rules, all flights, including charters, scheduled to depart between 700 a.m. and 1000 a.m., and between 600 p.m. and 900 p.m., must operate, along with certain charter flights to and from islands that were authorized before the strike notice. ENAC has posted a detailed list of guaranteed flights for the day on its Voli garantiti page.

Outside those protected windows, airlines have wide latitude to trim schedules. ITA Airways has already cancelled more than two dozen domestic flights tied to the strike, mainly on trunk routes that connect Rome and Milan with regional cities. Airports such as Venice Marco Polo and Naples International Airport (NAP) are advising travelers that flights may be delayed or cancelled and that ground handling procedures could slow boarding and baggage delivery throughout the day.

Long haul flights into and out of Italy are less likely to be cancelled outright, but they remain exposed to knock on effects. If an incoming flight relies on domestic feeder traffic and local crews, misconnects and crew availability issues can still cascade into delays. Travelers with same day domestic connections, for example an early afternoon Rome Fiumicino departure after a morning transatlantic arrival, should treat their plans as high risk if any leg falls outside the protected hours.

Airport ground transport is also affected. Striking workers are expected among airport bus drivers, local tram and bus staff, and some highway operators, so even when a flight is operating, passengers may find it harder to reach or leave airports on public transport.

Local Transport, Highways, And Logistics

At the city level, local public transport companies have warned of suspended or heavily reduced services on buses, trams, and trolley lines, with only minimal guaranteed windows. In Rome, Milan, Naples, and Florence, that means metro closures or reduced service for much of the day, combined with potentially crowded remaining departures and long waits at peak times.

Highway and logistics impacts may be less visible to individual tourists on November 28, but they still matter. A national logistics advisory from major freight operator Kuehne plus Nagel forecasts disruption across warehouses, ports, rail freight, and air cargo, which can delay deliveries and add congestion around port cities. That, in turn, can slow fuel deliveries, catering, and cruise turnarounds, as well as the highway rest stop network that supports long distance coach and car travel.

Background: How Italian Strike Protection Rules Work

Italian law requires minimum transport services during strikes, which is why rail and air authorities define specific protection windows and guaranteed services. For rail, essential regional services must run in the 600 a.m. to 900 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m. bands, and some long distance trains are always designated as guaranteed even during strikes. Trenitalia notes that trains which are already in motion when a strike begins normally continue to their destination if they can arrive within about one hour of the start time, otherwise they may stop early at an intermediate station.

For air transport, ENAC publishes lists of flights that must operate during each strike based on law 146 of 1990 and later resolutions, with particular protection for traffic in the 700 a.m. to 1000 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m. bands and for island links. Airlines then adjust their remaining schedules around these legal constraints, often clustering cancellations outside the protected periods in order to preserve core business and long haul routes.

The result is a patchwork pattern of service where some trains and flights operate normally while others vanish, which can mislead travelers who only look at a single route or time instead of the entire day pattern.

Strategies For Travelers On November 28

On November 28, the safest move is to avoid Italian rail and domestic flights altogether when itineraries are flexible. Visitors who can shift city to city moves to November 29 or earlier in the week will avoid last minute cancellations and crowded protection window departures.

If travel on the strike day is unavoidable, the next best option is to anchor critical segments in the protection windows. For rail, that means aiming for departures that clearly fall within 600 a.m. to 900 a.m. or 600 p.m. to 900 p.m. and confirming that the train number appears on Trenitalia, Italo, or Trenord guaranteed lists. For flights, it means choosing departures in the 700 a.m. to 1000 a.m. and 600 p.m. to 900 p.m. bands or selecting flights explicitly marked as guaranteed by ENAC or the operating airline.

Connections deserve special caution. Same day rail to flight or flight to rail connections through Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, or Venice are particularly fragile on November 28. Travelers should build at least three hours between segments and avoid separate tickets that split carriers or modes, since misconnect protection is much weaker on unlinked bookings.

Where possible, rebook long haul itineraries to connect through non Italian hubs such as Zurich, Munich, Vienna, or Barcelona, especially when final destinations are elsewhere in Europe or the Mediterranean. That way, only the last mile may rely on Italian domestic services, which can be rescheduled to non strike days.

Passengers already ticketed for November 28 should monitor airline and rail alerts daily, use official apps to track train numbers, and keep digital copies of all tickets and confirmations. Many operators will offer waivers or free change options when services are cancelled, but queues at staffed counters are likely to be long, so self service changes and remote call centers are key tools.

Looking Ahead To December 12

Because a second nationwide strike is scheduled for December 12 under CGIL leadership, travelers rebooking disrupted November 28 journeys should avoid simply shifting trips to that date. Instead, push travel to days between the two actions or after December 12 whenever possible.

Adept Traveler's earlier overview of November and December Italy strikes, including the December 12 CGIL action, provides a broader calendar view of the season's walkouts and how they interact with peak holiday travel. For deeper structural context on how Italian strikes work, and how guaranteed services are defined, readers should also review our evergreen guide to transport strikes in Italy, which explains the legal framework and typical patterns in more detail.

Learn More

Italy General Strikes To Hit Flights And Trains On November 28 And December 12