Europe's travel strikes: Flight and train disruption you can expect in April

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions. Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel. Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

UK: Train strikes in April

While there is no national train strike planned in the UK, various localised action is planned for April. On Saturday 13 April, industrial action by the RMT union will impact CrossCountry services. From 15-20 April, strikes by the ASLEF union will affect Northern rail services. And on 20 April, an ASLEF walkout will impact LNER trains. On the London Underground, customer service staff will walk out on 10-11 April, which may force some stations to close.

Heathrow Border Force strike called off

A strike planned at London Heathrow Airport from 11-14 April has been cancelled to allow time for negotiations to take place. If the dispute over working conditions is not resolved, further strike announcements are expected. 

Italy: Transport strike announced in April

Two of Italy's biggest unions have announced a strike on Thursday 11 April that will hit rail and other public transport. The walkout over working conditions and tax will be staged in different four-hour windows in cities across the country. Staff at state owned train company Ferrovie dello Stato - which includes Trenitalia - will go on strike from 9am to 1pm.

France: Could strikes hit Paris Olympics?

CGT-RATP union members announced a seven-month strike notice from 5 February to 9 September that could hit the Ile-de-France bus and metro network - including during this summer's Olympic Games. However, the French Senate adopted a bill on 9 April to allow the state to ban transport strikes for set periods each year to avoid disruption during major events like Paris 2024. It also calls for more advance warning of strikes and increased minimum service obligations. The bill faces opposition and must be adopted by the French National Assembly before it becomes law. Workers at the state-owned public transport company say they are walking out over pay. ‘The kids now prefer trains to planes’: How I took my family on a 7-day rail adventure around Europe

Germany: Threat of various strikes ends

On 25 March, Deutsche Bahn reached an agreement with Germany’s GDL train drivers' union, bringing an end to five months of negotiations and strikes.  The deal means that GDL will abstain from strikes until at least February 2026. German union Verdi has also called off strikes at various German airports after reaching a pay deal.