Friday, 29 May 2026
Italian transport strike disrupts business aviation on 29 May
A 24-hour Italian transport strike hits business aviation today. ENAC, the Italian civil aviation authority, has confirmed the action. The walk-out runs from 00:00 to 23:59 local time on 29 May 2026.
Air traffic controllers and ground-handling staff are taking part. Pressure is expected at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa. Other Italian airports are exposed throughout the operating day.
ENAC has set two protected service windows. Flights operating between 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 local are guaranteed to run. Outside those bands only 20% of scheduled flights are authorised to operate.
The protected list covers designated scheduled commercial flights. Business aviation is not formally protected. Part 91 traffic depends on ATC capacity and ground-handling availability throughout the day.
Italian-bound flights should expect slot constraint outside the protected windows. Ramp services, fuel uplift, customs, and CIQ availability may be reduced at the major hubs. ENAV staffing on selected sectors is also thinned.
The action was called by a coalition of transport, public-sector and grassroots unions. CUB Trasporti and Uiltrasporti are among them. The general strike also affects rail, ferry, motorway and urban transport across Italy.
Flight departments should confirm departure and arrival slots with their handlers before push-back. Scheduling around the 07:00-10:00 and 18:00-21:00 windows reduces disruption risk where flexibility exists. Alternate fields outside the major hubs may see less pressure.
Source: CAPA Centre for Aviation, 27 May 2026; Airhelp, 27 May 2026; ItalyOnFoot, 3 May 2026.
Also today
Eurocontrol publishes 2026 CPDLC recommended practices for Europe
Eurocontrol has published a new edition of its CPDLC recommended practices. The 2026 reference sheet targets persistent operational errors in European datalink. Topics include CLEARED TO versus PROCEED DIRECT TO clearance interpretation, speed-restriction validity after subsequent clearances, and recovery from failed logon attempts. The document also covers oceanic-to-European transitions on ATN-based systems and warns crews against discretionary CPDLC disconnections. CPDLC is mandatory above flight level 285 in the Eurocontrol DLS area. Part 91 flight departments transiting Europe should reconcile the new sheet with crew SOPs.
Source: Eurocontrol, Recommended Practices for CPDLC in Europe for Pilots (Ed 2026); Aviation International News, 28 May 2026; ops.group, 26 May 2026.
Wheels Up absorbs Air Partner under single global brand
Wheels Up has absorbed Air Partner under a single global brand. The completion was announced on 27 May 2026. It finishes an integration that began in the United States earlier this year. Private jet charter, group charter and jet card services in the United Kingdom and rest-of-world now operate under the Wheels Up name. Air Partner Cargo retains its existing brand. Wheels Up acquired Air Partner in April 2022 for $107 million. Existing Air Partner charter and jet card customers should confirm contract continuity under the new structure with their account teams.
Source: Wheels Up press release, 27 May 2026; Corporate Jet Investor, 27 May 2026.
