Delayed or cancelled at Rome Ciampino: 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.

A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff 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.

Ciampino is closed to commercial take-offs and landings from 23:00 to 06:00 under Italy's noise rules, so an evening delay can turn into a cancellation or an overnight wait. Whatever happens, the airline owes you care and a refund or a new flight; whether compensation is also due depends on what caused the delay in the first place.

Ciampino is a single, compact terminal for departures and arrivals, so your airline's desk is never far away: ask there for meal vouchers and, if you are stuck overnight, a hotel and the transfer to it. There is no lounge for scheduled passengers, so the cafés in departures are where you will wait. The departures terminal stays open overnight only for passengers with a flight in the next 24 hours, and the arrivals terminal closes from midnight to 06:00, which makes a hotel in Rome or by the airport the better plan for a next-day flight.

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

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 taking a claim to an Italian court, you must first try 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.