Italy General Strike Nov. 28: Flights, Trains, Roads

Published on Nov 1, 2025, 9:52 am CDT

5 min read

Key points

Nationwide general strike set for Friday, November 28 across air, rail, metro, buses and motorways
National rail strike runs 9:00 p.m. CET Nov. 27 to 9:00 p.m. CET Nov. 28 with only minimum services in peak bands
ENAC confirms protected flight bands 7–10 a.m. and 6–9 p.m. local during aviation strikes
Additional four-hour air traffic control stoppage scheduled Friday, November 14 from 1:00–5:00 p.m. CET
Airport ground handling actions and local transport stoppages expected in multiple cities on Nov. 28

Impact

Flights: Expect cancellations and schedule changes outside the ENAC protected bands of 7–10 a.m. and 6–9 p.m. local
Trains: Long-distance and regional services will be reduced from 9:00 p.m. CET Nov. 27 to 9:00 p.m. CET Nov. 28, with peak-hour minimum service
Local Transit: City metros, trams and buses may pause or thin service with city-specific minimums during morning and evening peaks
Motorways: Union actions can slow toll booths and service areas, adding delays to intercity driving plans
What To Do: Rebook to protected bands where possible, allow extra time, and monitor airline, ENAC and rail operator updates

Italy will experience a nationwide general strike on Friday, November 28, affecting air travel, national rail, city transit and motorway operations. Rail unions have filed a 24-hour walkout window that runs from 900 p.m. CET on Thursday, November 27 through 900 p.m. CET on Friday, November 28. Aviation faces additional pressure from a mid-month air traffic control stoppage and airport-ground actions tied to the broader protest calendar. Travelers with flights, trains or transfers in Italy during this period should move plans into protected time bands where available and build generous buffers.

What's changing for travelers

The general strike is broad, touching most transport modes. For rail, unions have called a nationwide 24-hour action spanning the evening of November 27 into November 28. Italian strike law preserves limited peak-hour service for commuters, so some regional and commuter trains operate during morning and evening "guaranteed" periods, while long-distance services are typically thinned, rerouted or canceled around those windows. The strike window and the guarantee principle are already flagged by national and trade outlets, and they align with Trenitalia's published practice of minimum service in the early-morning and late-afternoon peaks.

Aviation disruptions will come from multiple directions. First, Italy's civil aviation authority, ENAC, reiterates that during any confirmed aviation strike there are protected flight bands from 700 to 1000 a.m. and 600 to 900 p.m. local, during which flights are to operate. Outside those windows, airlines may cancel or retime services, and travelers should expect staggered knock-on delays before and after the strike hours. Second, a separate national air-traffic-control stoppage has been posted for Friday, November 14, from 100 to 500 p.m. CET, which can create residual schedule instability in the weeks leading into the general strike day. Airport ground-staff actions on November 28 are also on the calendar.

Local public transport in cities such as Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin and others commonly participates in nationwide actions. City agencies typically publish their own minimum-service plans, preserving limited rush-hour operations and school-run coverage while pausing service at other times. If you rely on the metro to reach a mainline station or an airport rail link, plan a road fallback and leave early. National reporting around the November strike highlights the inclusion of local transport and motorway services among the targeted sectors.

Latest developments

The strike call for Friday, November 28 has been formally publicized by base unions including USB and CUB, who frame the action around budget and wage themes and have encouraged participation across public and private sectors. Their notices, published on October 23 and October 21 respectively, solidify the date and nationwide scope. As with prior Italian general strikes, last-minute government interventions can modify hours in specific sectors, but no such decrees have been issued for November 28 at the time of writing.

Analysis

For flyers, the most reliable tactic is to move departures or arrivals into ENAC's protected bands. Mid-morning and early-evening flights on strike days tend to hold better, while midday and late-night banks face higher cancellation risk. ENAC's banding is especially helpful for domestic and short-haul European flights, where retiming into those windows is often feasible on the same day; long-haul travelers should press for day-before or day-after options if seats exist.

For rail, the 24-hour rail stoppage starting the prior evening complicates late connections into Friday morning flights and cruises. Italy's guarantee scheme typically keeps some commuter-hour trains running roughly 600-900 a.m. and 600-900 p.m., but between those windows, service is very limited, and long-distance operations are uneven. If a critical connection depends on rail between airports and cities, book a protected-band flight and arrange a car transfer or airport coach as a backup. Guidance collated by rail distributors mirrors Trenitalia's practice and is a good heuristic for planning even before operator-specific notices post.

Road travelers should account for motorway slowdowns near urban toll plazas and service areas. On prior nationwide actions, these points become bottlenecks, and minor blockages ripple out to ring roads. If you are driving on November 28, start early, keep fuel above half, and carry cash and cards for contingencies.

Background

Italy's strike rules balance the right to strike with continuity of essential services. In transport, that balance shows up as "fasce di garanzia," time bands when a minimum level of service must operate, and as "servizi minimi" listed by each operator. ENAC publishes protected windows for aviation, while rail and local-transit guarantees are defined sector-by-sector. The national strike on November 28 sits within a busy protest calendar that also features a four-hour ATC stoppage on November 14 and multiple airport-ground and airline-specific actions.

Final thoughts

The Italy general strike on November 28 will be most disruptive around the mid-day and late-night periods, with better stability during ENAC's protected bands and rail commuter peaks. If your itinerary touches Italy between November 27 and November 28, move flights into protected windows, shift rail segments to the guarantee bands or the day before, and build generous time cushions.