Security staff at Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino airports will walk out for a full 24 hours on Sunday 13 September 2026. The Italian Ministry of Transport listed the ADR Security stoppage in its national scioperi register, covering all screening personnel at both airports from 00:00 to 23:59.
If you are flying into or out of Rome next Sunday, or connecting through Fiumicino, expect significantly longer queues at security. A separate four-hour ground-handling walkout at the same airports, from 11:00 to 15:00, means baggage and boarding delays are likely in the middle of the day too.
Italian law protects two flight windows, but the hours in between are where the real disruption sits. FAST-Confsal, the union behind the action, reported around 75 per cent participation when ADR Security staff last walked out in early July.
The Key Facts
- 24-hour security strike at both Fiumicino and Ciampino on Sunday 13 September
- 75 per cent participation when ADR Security staff last struck in July, reported by FAST-Confsal
- Protected flight windows run 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00; flights guaranteed in those bands
- Ground-handling strike from 11:00 to 15:00 adds mid-day baggage and boarding risk
What Is Actually Happening
Two separate strikes are scheduled at Rome’s airports on 13 September 2026, both listed in the Ministry of Transport’s scioperi register.
The first is a 24-hour walkout by ADR Security staff, the people who screen passengers and hand luggage at Fiumicino and Ciampino. FAST-Confsal, the union behind the action, confirmed that the dispute centres on what it describes as punishing shift patterns for screening staff. The strike runs from midnight to midnight.
The second is a four-hour stoppage by Aviation Services ground-handling staff at both airports, running from 11:00 to 15:00. The Ministry of Transport confirmed that Aviation Services handles baggage, boarding and ramp operations for several airlines at Fiumicino.
The combination means that between 11:00 and 15:00, both screening and ground operations could be running at reduced capacity. That mid-day window is the one to avoid if you can.
The Protected Windows: When to Fly
Italian essential-services law requires airports to maintain minimum service levels during protected time bands. At Fiumicino and Ciampino these are 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00.
Flights departing or arriving in those six hours are guaranteed to operate. Security screening must remain staffed during those windows, even if throughput is slower than normal.
Outside the protected hours, and especially between 11:00 and 15:00 when the ground-handling strike overlaps, delays are most likely. If your flight departs between 10:00 and 18:00, arrive at the airport at least three hours early.
What You Can Actually Do
Check your flight status with your airline before you leave for the airport. Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet and the legacy carriers all fly from Fiumicino, and each handles strike disruption differently.
If you have flexibility, book or rebook into a protected window. Early-morning departures between 07:00 and 10:00 carry the lowest risk.
Pack everything you need for the first 24 hours in your hand luggage. The ground-handling strike means checked bags could be delayed, particularly on flights between 11:00 and 15:00. The Barcelona El Prat ground-handling strike in August showed how quickly a baggage backlog builds when ramp staff walk out.
Download your airline app and turn on push notifications. Gate changes and delays are more likely on strike days, and the app is usually faster than the departure board.
If you are connecting through Fiumicino on a long-haul routing, check whether your airline can reroute you through another hub. Dolcevia, the Italy travel publication, reported twelve active transport strikes across Italy in September 2026, so Rome is not the only pinch point.
What You Are Owed
If your flight is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled because of the strike, EU Regulation 261/2004 applies. Rome is in the EU, so the regulation covers every airline departing from either airport, regardless of where the airline is based.
For UK passengers, the retained UK version of the regulation covers return flights from Rome on UK-registered carriers. In practice, all flights departing Rome are covered by the EU version.
Your EU261 Rights
Applies to all flights departing Rome, any airline.
Maximum compensation for a medium-haul cancellation or delay over three hours.
The airline must offer meals and refreshments during a delay of two hours or more, and accommodation if you are stranded overnight. Compensation of up to 400 euros for medium-haul flights, which covers most UK routes to Rome, may also be due. Airlines often argue that strikes constitute an extraordinary circumstance outside their control, and a security-staff strike at the airport, rather than an airline’s own staff, may strengthen that argument. Keep all receipts.
For more on how airport disruption affects your rights, see our Barcelona baggage backlog report, which covers the same EU261 claims process.
