Hundreds of air travelers found themselves stranded or severely delayed across Italy today as a wave of disruptions rippled through major hubs in Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Naples. By late afternoon on February 15, 2026, at least 23 flights serving these cities had been canceled and a further 244 delayed, affecting operations at ITA Airways, KLM, Ryanair, easyJet, Air France, and several other carriers. The knock-on effects spread across domestic and international networks, complicating weekend travel at the height of the winter city-break season.
Rome and Milan Bear the Brunt of a Difficult Day
Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport at Fiumicino and Milan’s Malpensa and Linate airports reported the heaviest concentration of today’s disruptions, underscoring their role as Italy’s primary international gateways. According to operational data shared by industry monitoring services, the two metropolitan areas together accounted for the majority of the 244 delays logged nationwide, with average hold-ups ranging from 45 minutes to more than two hours during peak waves of traffic.
At Malpensa and Fiumicino alone, airport operations data indicated over 300 delayed movements and a small but significant number of cancellations throughout the day, combining departures and arrivals and reinforcing the broader tally emerging across the national network. Passengers reported long queues at check-in and security, as well as clusters of travelers camped out around crowded departure boards, waiting for rolling estimates of departure times that were repeatedly updated as the day progressed.
In Milan, airport staff deployed additional ground teams to help manage congestion at gate areas and to direct passengers between terminals as airlines attempted to consolidate disrupted services. At Rome Fiumicino, temporary bottlenecks in aircraft turnaround times added further pressure, with several inbound flights forced to wait for available stands and crews, delaying subsequent departures in a cascading effect familiar to frequent European travelers.
Bologna and Naples Add to a Nationwide Picture of Disruption
While the principal hubs in Rome and Milan absorbed the bulk of the day’s disruption, secondary airports in Bologna and Naples also reported cancellations and extended delays, contributing to a complex operating environment across northern and southern Italy. Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, an important connector for both low-cost and full-service carriers, saw a string of late departures on short-haul routes to northern Europe and domestic destinations.
In Naples, where Capodichino Airport serves both local residents and a steady flow of international visitors heading toward the Amalfi Coast and Campania, passengers described crowded terminals and limited seating as mid-morning delays pushed into the afternoon. Several flights operated by low-cost carriers departed significantly behind schedule, forcing travelers to rebook missed onward connections or rearrange hotel and ground transport plans at short notice.
Regional tourism operators warned that even a single day of widespread disruption can ripple well beyond the airports themselves. With cruise departures, organized tours, and weekend city packages tightly timed around arrival schedules, late-night and next-day knock-on delays posed additional challenges for hotels and transport providers already working at near-capacity as Italy’s post-pandemic tourism recovery continues.
Major Airlines Struggle to Keep Schedules Intact
The disruption cut across airline business models, impacting Italy’s flag carrier ITA Airways, traditional network airlines such as KLM and Air France, and low-cost operators including Ryanair and easyJet. ITA Airways, whose operations are heavily concentrated in Rome and Milan, faced the dual challenge of managing passengers stranded on domestic trunk routes and those affected on long-haul flights connecting through Fiumicino.
KLM and Air France both experienced schedule pressure on their Italian services feeding into Amsterdam and Paris hubs, where airlines have recently been contending with their own waves of congestion and earlier disruptions this month. European aviation analysts noted that any instability at one major hub now quickly reverberates through the network, leaving little slack for carriers to recover from unexpected delays or aircraft availability issues.
For low-cost giants Ryanair and easyJet, the problems were especially visible on intra-European leisure routes. Flights linking Italy with popular weekend destinations in Spain, the United Kingdom, France, and Central Europe left behind schedule, in some cases prompting aircraft swaps and reroutings as airlines sought to restore operational balance. With tightly timed turnarounds central to the low-cost model, even modest ground handling delays in Italy were enough to cascade across their broader European operations.
Stranded Passengers Face Long Queues and Frustration
Inside terminals, passengers caught up in the disruption described a familiar pattern of uncertainty, queues, and limited information. Families traveling with children reported waiting for hours in line to reach service desks as airlines tried to rebook travelers from canceled services onto later flights, often competing for scarce seats at popular times on routes to and from Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Naples.
Business travelers attempting same-day returns or critical connections found that even relatively short delays could render their itineraries unworkable. Some were forced to abandon air travel entirely and turn to high-speed trains between Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Milan. However, recent strain on Italy’s rail network, including signal-control damage on key corridors, left that option far from guaranteed for those seeking a quick alternative.
Social media channels filled with images of departure boards dominated by the word “delayed” in Italian and English, along with posts from travelers seeking clarity from airlines’ customer service teams. While some carriers offered meal vouchers and hotel accommodation for those facing overnight disruption, others reminded passengers that eligibility for assistance and compensation depends on the cause of the delay and the specific circumstances of their journey.
Underlying Pressures on European Air Traffic and Infrastructure
Today’s difficulties in Italy come against a wider backdrop of mounting pressure on Europe’s air traffic system. Industry data published in late 2025 showed that air traffic control related delays across the continent have more than doubled over the past decade, even as overall flight numbers increased only modestly. Staffing shortages, capacity constraints, and recurring industrial action have all contributed to a steady rise in minutes lost to delay.
While weather conditions did not appear to be the primary driver of today’s Italian disruptions, the lack of resilience in the air traffic management system means even small operational challenges can quickly snowball. When a few flights are delayed on departure, aircraft and crews may arrive late into their next rotations, airport stands become unavailable for arriving jets, and scheduled connections fall out of sync. For hub airports like Rome and Milan, this can lead to a rolling wave of disruption that is difficult to unwind before the end of the operating day.
At the same time, European carriers continue to grapple with external shocks, including the need to reroute certain long-haul flights to avoid conflict zones and restricted airspace. These reroutings add flight time and complexity to schedules, making it harder for airlines to recover from day-to-day irregularities. For passengers in Italy today, the result was a localized manifestation of challenges that have been building over several years across the European aviation system.
Impact on Italy’s Tourism and Business Travel Recovery
The timing of the disruptions is particularly sensitive for Italy, which has seen a robust rebound in international tourism through 2025 and into early 2026. Rome and Milan remain key entry points for long-haul visitors from North America and Asia, while Naples, Bologna, and other regional airports play a crucial role in distributing travelers to coastal resorts, cultural cities, and alpine destinations.
Tourism analysts note that while experienced travelers are increasingly accustomed to occasional delays, repeated episodes of large-scale disruption risk undermining confidence in Italy as an easily accessible destination during busy periods. For short-stay city trips, where visitors may have only two or three days on the ground, losing half a day to airport disruption can significantly diminish the overall value of the trip.
Business travel, which has been slower to recover than leisure tourism, is also vulnerable. Companies planning conferences, trade fairs, and investor meetings in Milan, Rome, and Bologna rely on predictable air links to ensure strong attendance. Today’s events serve as a reminder that companies may need to build more flexibility into schedules and encourage participants to arrive earlier when critical meetings or events are planned.
How Airlines and Authorities Are Responding
As the scale of today’s disruption became clear, airlines operating into and out of Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Naples activated their irregular operations procedures, prioritizing information flows to passengers and repositioning aircraft and crews where possible. Carriers encouraged customers to monitor mobile apps and text alerts for live updates, while many temporarily relaxed rebooking rules, allowing same-day changes without fees on affected routes.
Ground handlers and airport authorities, meanwhile, worked to manage crowding in terminals and to keep lines at security and passport control moving as smoothly as possible. Additional staff were dispatched to key pinch points, including transfer desks and baggage claim areas, where late-arriving flights caused brief surges in passenger volumes.
Italy’s civil aviation authorities and airport operators are expected to review the day’s performance metrics, examining how staffing levels, runway capacity, and coordination with air traffic control contributed to the disruption. With further traffic growth anticipated in the run-up to major international events and the peak summer season, the pressure is on to identify vulnerabilities and reinforce resilience before warmer months bring even higher passenger volumes.
What Travelers Should Do Next
For passengers still scheduled to travel to or from Rome, Milan, Bologna, or Naples later today and into tomorrow, the most consistent advice from airlines and airports is to verify flight status before leaving for the airport. Travelers with flexible tickets or non-essential trips may wish to consider voluntary rebooking to later dates if their carrier offers fee waivers, especially on routes that have already experienced repeated delays throughout the day.
Those already at the airport are encouraged to stay close to their departure gates once a boarding time has been announced, as airlines under pressure to recover schedules may board and depart as soon as an aircraft and crew are ready. Keeping boarding passes, booking references, and any written communication from airlines accessible can also help when seeking assistance at service counters or filing claims for reimbursement of eligible expenses.
Travel experts note that, as Europe’s air network continues to operate near capacity, days like today in Italy may become more frequent unless long-standing capacity and staffing issues are addressed. For now, passengers are left to navigate the immediate fallout: rebooked flights, reshuffled holiday plans, and an unwelcome reminder that even a relatively modest number of cancellations and delays can cause outsized disruption in a tightly interconnected aviation system.