A tough summer for airports: flights cancelled for 1.3 million passengers (+218 per cent)
AirHelp’s findings: here’s when you’re entitled to a refund
The summer that has just ended was a record-breaking summer for Italian tourism yet at the same time, the months from June to August were marked by considerable inconvenience for those who set off on their journeys, choosing the : the number of passengers left stranded because their flights were cancelled tripled compared with the same period in 2025, rising from 406,000 to nearly 1.3 million. This was largely due to a series of strikes in the aviation sector occurring in quick succession during each of the busiest months for the travel industry. The findings come from AirHelp, a travel company specialising in flight disruptions.
There has, however, been a slight improvement in terms of delays: the proportion of flights delayed by more than 15 minutes has fallen from 32.7 per cent in the summer of 2025 to 28.6 per cent this year.
The right to compensation
“Despite these figures, awareness of a right enshrined in European legislation – the right to compensation – remains low,” notes AirHelp, pointing out that Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 recognises “passengers affected by delays of more than 3 hours, cancellations with less than 14 days’ notice or denied boarding due to overbooking, compensation ranging from 250 to 600 euros, depending on the distance of the journey”.
Summer strikes
The rise in the number of cancelled flights was driven by the industrial action that characterised the entire summer season. It began with the strike on 13 June, which mainly affected EasyJet staff and the airports at Milan Linate, Cagliari and Verona. In July, the ‘black day’ was 5 July.
The most significant disruption occurred on 21 August, affecting 235,347 passengers, during one of the busiest periods of the summer season. Finally, on 13 September, a strike by ground staff affected Fiumicino, Ciampino, Malpensa, Turin and Venice.
