Delayed or cancelled at Naples airport: what you are owed

Italy's air transport strikes follow published rules, set by the strike guarantee commission (Delibera 14/387) under the law on essential public services. A strike must be announced at least 12 days ahead, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport publishes the calendar of strikes called, by sector and airport. Flights scheduled to depart between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 must operate even on a strike day, and the aviation authority ENAC publishes a list of other guaranteed flights. No strikes are allowed in the protected periods: 18 December to 7 January, 24 April to 2 May, 27 June to 4 July, 27 July to 5 September, 30 October to 5 November, the week around Easter, and around national elections.

Whether a strike pays depends on who walks out. A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff (security, handling) is outside the airline's control and can count as an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation may not be due, though meals, a hotel if needed, and a refund or the earliest available new flight still are. A strike by the airline's own pilots or cabin crew over their pay or conditions is not extraordinary, so compensation is due. A technical fault is generally not extraordinary either.

GESAC closes Naples airport from 1 to 30 November 2026 to rebuild the runway, and some airlines move their flights to Salerno Costa d'Amalfi airport for the month. If your airline told you about a cancellation at least 14 days before the flight, no compensation is due, but you still choose between a refund and a new flight. If the airline offers you a flight to or from another airport serving the same city or region instead of the one you booked, the regulation says the airline bears the cost of getting you between that airport and the one you booked, or a close-by destination you agree with it; ask the airline how it will cover the transfer before you travel. During the closure, a bus runs from Piazza Garibaldi in Naples to Salerno airport, eight a day each way, for €12.

The rest of the year, the terminal closes from 22:30 to 03:30, staying open only for exceptional delays. If a late delay means your flight leaves the next day, the airline owes you a hotel and the transport to it, as well as meals.

Ask your airline's desk in the check-in hall for meal vouchers and, if you are stuck overnight, a hotel. Check-in is on the ground floor by entrance: 1 for British Airways, flydubai, Iberia, Turkish Airlines and Wizz Air; 2 for easyJet, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS and Volotea; 3 for Air France, KLM and Ryanair. If the airline books your hotel, it also owes you the transfer. Two places to sleep are close by: the Benbo capsule hotel outside the terminal by car park P2, and the Capodichino International Hotel about 500 metres away.

Compensation must be paid in money (cash, bank transfer or cheque); you do not have to accept a voucher instead.

Many long-haul journeys from Naples connect, on ITA Airways through Rome or on Lufthansa, SWISS, Air France, KLM or Turkish Airlines through their hubs. If you booked the whole trip on one reservation, the delay that counts is the one at your final destination, and the distance is measured from Naples to where your journey ends, not leg by leg. Arrive 3 hours or more late at the end and you are owed compensation for the whole journey, even if the first flight was only an hour late, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Separate tickets are assessed one by one, so a missed self-transfer is not covered.

Claiming yourself is free. Write to the airline that operated the flight with your booking reference, flight number, date and what happened, and ask for the compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004. If it does not reply within six weeks, or its answer does not satisfy you, you can complain to ENAC, the Italian enforcement body, which can sanction airlines but does not recover compensation for you. Before going to court you can also try free conciliation through the transport regulator ART's ConciliaWeb platform. ENAC says claims should be made within two years of the flight; claim well within that, as the limit is disputed and some airlines reject claims after six months.

Or let AirHelp do it on a no win, no fee basis: if they win, they keep 35% of the compensation including VAT, plus 15% if court action is needed; if they do not win, you pay nothing. Either way, keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation, receipts for anything you bought while waiting, and the reason for the delay the airline gave you.

New EU rules (Regulation (EU) 2026/2202) apply from 23 October 2027; until then, today's rules apply, including to every flight described on this page.