European airlines are cancelling flights as Mount Etna in Italy erupted on Sunday, raining ash on the Sicilian region and prompting the nearby airport to shut.
According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the ash had fallen on Catania – the largest city in the region, with residents saying they heard loud explosions from the volcano, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Delays can occur to passengers travelling through the airport; thus, they are advised to check their flight status before departing. Many flights departing from Catania Airport that were due to arrive yesterday had been cancelled or diverted to Comiso Airport. Some flights were operated in the morning, while the majority were postponed.
In addition to the volcano eruption, Italy has been dealing with deadly floods in the northern region of Emilia Romagna, which has left 15 people dead and 36,000 evacuated.
While Italy has encountered catastrophic conditions, other countries are dealing with strikes, which are hampering air traffic and flights, affecting thousands of passengers.
Recently, pilots at Air Europa, the third-largest Spanish airline, have announced several strikes that will take place in the upcoming days. These strikes come after the Ministry of Transport’s announcement to implement the law that obliges airline staff to operate at least 90 per cent of the flights, regardless of being on strike.
According to Spanish unions, this law violates workers’ right to strike. In addition to this, pilots at Air Europa are complaining that despite the ticket prices going up by 54 per cent, their wages have remained the same, indicating that only the airline bosses are benefiting from the increased income.
On the other hand, the Foreigners and Border Services (SEF) inspectors entered a strike, hampering flight operations for travellers arriving and departing from Lisbon airport. While strikes in other countries last longer, those in Portugal have been scheduled mostly for weekends and for shorter periods of time, from 5 am to 10 am.
The reason for this time frame is that the unions are trying to convey the message without affecting the flights’ schedule.
Yesterday, Belgium was flooded by workers that were protesting against social dumping, a practice that employers use to employ workers for lower prices in order to reduce costs.
France, on the other hand, has taken a pause from protests against the retirement age reform, but more protests are expected to happen in the upcoming month, especially in June. These industrial actions will inevitably impact the sector, as it is the beginning of the summer season when holidaymakers make their plans to enjoy European destinations.