Departure delays rippled through several of Italy’s busiest airports on Tuesday as staffing shortages among ground handlers and security personnel collided with a sharp surge in passenger numbers, snarling early flights from Rome and Milan and prompting airlines to warn of possible knock on disruption into the evening peak.

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Morning bottlenecks at Rome and Milan as queues build

Italy’s primary hubs at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa reported longer than normal check in and security queues after airlines and airport operators acknowledged they were operating with reduced teams in ground handling and screening.

While both airports stressed that safety was never compromised, staffing gaps forced some check in counters and security lanes to run below planned capacity at the height of the morning rush.

Passengers reported waiting significantly longer for bag drop, boarding and baggage delivery, particularly on short haul European services scheduled within densely banked departure windows.

At Fiumicino, early wave departures to other Schengen destinations bore the brunt of the disruption as late arriving aircraft and slower turnarounds compressed already tight connection times. At Malpensa, airlines used terminal announcements to urge travellers to proceed directly to their gates, bypassing retail areas in an effort to recover lost minutes before boarding cut off.

The pattern mirrored issues seen during recent strike and shortage episodes across Italy’s aviation sector, when overloaded handling agents and security contractors struggled to keep pace with demand.

Although no nationwide strike was in effect, unions and industry observers said chronic understaffing, sickness and difficulties in backfilling seasonal roles had left critical ground operations exposed as winter holiday traffic built toward its peak.

Ground handling gaps slow aircraft turnarounds

Airline operations managers pointed to ground handling teams as a particular pinch point. Many of the service providers that load and unload baggage, guide aircraft on the apron, clean cabins and staff check in counters have faced a prolonged recruitment challenge since the pandemic, with skilled staff slow to return and competition from other sectors for shift based work intensifying.

In practical terms, even modest shortfalls in ramp and turnaround crews can quickly cascade into departure delays. When a single team must cover multiple stands, baggage unloading, refuelling support and catering often occur sequentially rather than in parallel, adding precious minutes to each stop.

Those incremental delays then push aircraft outside their scheduled slot times, which in Europe’s crowded airspace can trigger further waiting for take off clearances and congestion at departure and arrival gates.

Italian aviation analysts noted that similar vulnerabilities had been highlighted ahead of a series of transport strikes earlier this year, when national calendars flagged handling agents at major airports for limited work stoppages.

In those cases, travel advisers warned that even four hour walkouts could leave a residue of delays stretching well into the evening, especially at high throughput hubs such as Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa that rely on tightly timed aircraft rotations.

Security staff shortages stretch airport checkpoints

Security screening emerged as the second major choke point, particularly at larger terminals handling a mix of Schengen and non Schengen passengers. Airport managers and unions have repeatedly cautioned that the recruitment and vetting cycle for security staff is lengthy, making it difficult to scale up quickly when passenger volumes rise faster than anticipated.

On Tuesday, reduced staffing at some checkpoints meant fewer lanes were available during peak morning and midday departures. That forced airports to funnel more passengers through a smaller number of lines, lengthening average wait times.

Travellers reported queues snaking back toward check in areas, with staff periodically rebalancing flows between lines and prioritising imminent departures to avoid missed flights.

European travel bodies have warned for several seasons that security shortfalls, when layered on top of crowded terminals and new border procedures, create a fragile system in which relatively small perturbations can trigger outsized disruption.

Italy is not unique in this respect, but the convergence of staff gaps with a pronounced holiday travel surge has placed its biggest airports under particular strain.

Surging holiday traffic amplifies disruption risk

The latest problems arrived as Italy’s airports were already contending with a robust rebound in passenger demand. Industry data show that traffic through key European hubs has climbed back to, and in some cases above, pre pandemic levels, with school holidays and festive travel driving especially strong loads on intra European routes and flights connecting to long haul services.

Rome and Milan function as both origin and transfer points, meaning delays in one bank of departures can spill into connecting traffic several hours later. When flights depart late, passengers may miss onward connections to other Italian cities or to broader European and intercontinental networks.

Airlines are then forced to rebook or accommodate those travellers, further stretching customer service teams that may themselves be operating below full strength.

Travel strategists note that high demand effectively erodes the system’s buffer. With aircraft largely full and spare seats scarce, there is less slack to absorb rebookings.

Many carriers have already trimmed their schedules in recent seasons to reduce the risk of mass cancellations, but they remain acutely vulnerable to the sort of incremental delays that arise when central functions such as ground handling and security are under resourced.

Airlines warn of evening knock on delays

Carriers serving Rome and Milan issued advisories urging passengers to monitor their flight status closely throughout the day, cautioning that the morning’s disruption could reverberate into the evening peak even if staffing improved later.

Because aircraft and crew follow pre planned rotations, a delay on one early sector can push subsequent departures progressively further off schedule, especially when aircraft are scheduled for multiple short haul legs in a single day.

Operations planners highlighted the risk to late afternoon and evening flights, including services carrying holidaymakers outbound from Italy and business travellers returning to northern Europe. Once aircraft accumulate more than an hour of delay, options to recover on turnarounds become limited without cutting corners on safety or service.

Slot controlled airports also restrict the ability to simply push back whenever an aircraft is ready, meaning recovered time on the ground may still be lost waiting for a new air traffic control window.

Several airlines encouraged customers with flexible plans to consider rebooking to less busy departures later in the week or earlier in the day, while those with fixed itineraries were advised to arrive at airports well ahead of the usual two hour guideline for short haul flights.

Some carriers also temporarily eased rules on free changes for flights touching the most affected airports, an approach used during previous Italian strike days to manage demand and reduce pressure on bottlenecks.

Operators grapple with structural staffing challenges

Behind the immediate queues and delays lies a deeper structural issue that Italy shares with many other European markets. The pandemic era collapse in air travel prompted widespread layoffs and furloughs among ground handlers, security companies and airlines.

As traffic returned more quickly than many had forecast, employers found that thousands of former staff had moved into other sectors offering more regular hours or more competitive pay.

Industry groups say that ground handling and security roles remain particularly hard to fill. The jobs often involve early morning starts, late finishes, weekend and holiday work, as well as extended periods spent outdoors in variable weather.

Pay levels at some contractors have struggled to keep pace with inflation, and union negotiations over wages and conditions have repeatedly spilled into strike action and threats of industrial unrest.

Italy’s system adds extra complexity because multiple handling companies often compete side by side at the same airport, each serving different airlines under separate contracts. That fragmentation can make coordinated recruitment and training efforts more difficult and has been cited by labour representatives as a factor in high staff turnover.

Regulators and government officials have begun to examine whether standards for minimum staffing and service resilience need to be strengthened to protect passengers from recurrent disruption.

What travelers can do if they are flying through Italy

For travellers with flights booked to or from Italy in the coming days, experts recommend focusing on preparation and flexibility rather than assuming that any one day’s disruption will automatically resolve itself.

Airlines and airports alike advise passengers to arrive at the terminal earlier than usual, particularly for morning and early afternoon departures from Fiumicino, Malpensa and Linate, where pressure on check in and security is likely to be most acute.

Checking in online as soon as the window opens, prepaying for checked baggage where possible and travelling with carry on luggage only can help reduce the amount of time spent in queues.

Travellers connecting onward by rail or domestic flight are encouraged to allow longer margins between arrival and their next leg, as even modest flight delays can erode tight connections and lead to missed departures on other modes of transport.

Those who experience significant delays or cancellations are also reminded that European air passenger rights rules continue to apply in many situations, entitling them to care, assistance and in some cases compensation.

However, claims processes can take time, and immediate practical steps such as securing alternative flights, nearby accommodation and updated travel insurance documentation should take priority while at the airport.

FAQ

Q1. Which Italian airports are currently most affected by staffing related delays?
Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa have experienced the heaviest pressure, with reports of extended queues and slower turnarounds. Milan Linate and other busy regional gateways can also feel knock on effects when airline networks start to run behind schedule.

Q2. Are these delays caused by an official strike?
No nationwide aviation strike has been declared for the day in question, but the delays are closely linked to underlying staffing shortages among ground handlers and security staff. Those shortages have been a recurring theme around recent strike dates and during peak travel periods.

Q3. How long could the knock on effects last into the evening?
If aircraft and crews fall significantly behind their planned rotations in the morning and early afternoon, delays can easily persist into the late evening. The exact duration depends on how quickly airports can restore full staffing and whether airlines can swap aircraft or adjust schedules to recover time.

Q4. What should I do if I am flying from Rome or Milan today?
Plan to arrive at the airport earlier than you normally would, complete online check in in advance, and monitor your flight status through your airline’s app or customer notifications. Once at the airport, proceed directly through security and to your gate rather than lingering in retail areas, particularly if you are departing in a peak wave.

Q5. Will connecting flights inside Italy be at risk?
Yes, domestic connections can be vulnerable if inbound flights arrive late and there is limited slack in the onward schedule. Travellers connecting from international to domestic services at hubs such as Rome and Milan should allow extra time and, where possible, keep all segments on a single ticket so airlines are responsible for rebooking in the event of missed connections.

Q6. Are security checks taking longer than usual?
Reports from passengers and airport staff indicate that security queues are longer at certain times of day due to reduced staffing and higher passenger volumes. While airports may open additional lanes where possible, travellers should be prepared for extended waiting and ensure that liquids, laptops and belts are ready for screening to keep lines moving.

Q7. Can airlines offer compensation for delays caused by staffing shortages?
In many cases, yes. Under European air passenger rights rules, airlines may owe compensation for long delays and cancellations that are within their control, which can include some staffing issues. However, each case depends on specific circumstances, and travellers should retain boarding passes, booking confirmations and written notices from the airline when pursuing a claim.

Q8. Is it safer to book early morning or late evening flights during this period?
Early morning departures often face the sharpest queues because many flights are scheduled in dense clusters, but they start the day with aircraft and crews in their planned positions. Late evening services can be more exposed to accumulated delays. Travellers seeking a balance may prefer mid morning or early afternoon departures, while still allowing time for extended airport formalities.

Q9. How are families and less mobile passengers being supported?
Airports and airlines state that they are prioritising assistance for families with young children, elderly passengers and those with reduced mobility. Dedicated assistance services, priority lanes and staff escorts remain available, but demand can be high during disruption, so anyone requiring special support should notify their airline well before travel and reconfirm on arrival at the airport.

Q10. Could similar disruptions occur again over the holiday period?
Yes, the underlying factors driving the current delays, including staffing shortages and strong passenger demand, are expected to persist through the peak holiday season. Travellers planning trips in the coming weeks should keep an eye on news from airlines, unions and Italian transport authorities, and build additional flexibility into their itineraries wherever possible.