A series of nationwide strikes in Italy on Thursday 10 July is set to disrupt air travel, after baggage handlers and easyJet flight crews announced a 24-hour work stoppage.

Members of Assohandlers, the national association of airport handling services operators, will walk off the job for 24 hours, from 12:00am to 11:59pm, as will easyJet flight crews across the country and members of the Lombardy airport workers union Flai Trasporti e Servizi.

Security personnel at Cagliari airport will also strike for four hours on Thursday, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

Assohandlers¡¯ labour action, in particular, is expected to cause significant disruption as its member companies ¨C which include Airport Handling, Aviapartner, Aviation Services, Swissport and BGY International Services ¨C operate at several Italian airports, including at hubs in Milan, Rome and Venice.

Airport operators in Venice and Milan have issued warnings of potential flight delays and cancellations, while national carrier ITA Airways has confirmed the cancellation of 36 flights previously scheduled for 10 July.

As per Italian law, a minimum level of essential services will continue during the strike, with flights scheduled between 7:00am and 10:00am and from 6:00pm to 9:00pm expected to proceed as planned. Italy¡¯s National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has also published a list of guaranteed flights.

Daily flights to the Italian islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Lampedusa have also been excluded from the strike, according to ENAC.