Air passengers face disruption amid multiple airport and airline staff strikes

Passengers flying to, from or across Italy faced disruption on Tuesday due to strikes involving baggage handlers at multiple major airports and a nationwide walkout from pilots and cabin staff at budget carrier WizzAir.

Baggage handlers at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo, Bologna Guglielmo Marconi, Bergamo Orio al Serio and Rome Fiumicino were set to strike for 24 hours.

READ MORE: How are Italy’s airport and airline strikes affecting travel on Tuesday?

Italian media reports said the protests may result in flight delays or cancellations at any of the involved airport hubs, as well as delays in ground operations including check-in and baggage drop-off or collection services.

Pilots and cabin staff at Hungarian budget airline WizzAir also planned to walk out for 24 hours, with the carrier saying that scheduled inbound and outbound flights may experience delays and/or cancellations as a result of the strike.

Death toll of Naples building collapse rises to four 

The death toll of a building collapse in Saviano, near Naples, rose to four on Monday after the body of an elderly woman was pulled from the rubble, Ansa reported.

The bodies of two siblings, aged 4 and 6, and their mother were found on Sunday.  

The body retrieved on Monday was identified as the mother of the previous adult victim and grandmother of the two children.

The children’s father and 2-year-old brother were pulled from the rubble alive on Sunday, though the father was reported as being in critical condition.

The explosion was caused by a gas leak, according to media reports.

EU approves €446-million aid package for 2023 Italy floods

The European Council on Monday approved the allocation of a €446-million aid package to Italy to help address the consequences of devastating floods that hit the Emilia Romagna and Tuscany regions in 2023, according to Ansa. 

Some €378.8 million were set to be allocated to the Emilia-Romagna region following devastating flooding in May 2023, whereas €67.8 million were earmarked for the Tuscany region following floods in October and November 2023.

The Council also proposed giving Italian farmers €37.4 million to cover production losses caused by climate change.

The aid package was part of a larger €1-billion fund to help EU member states including Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France deal with the consequences of natural disasters experienced in 2023.

The fund was set to “cover part of the costs of emergency and recovery operations, including repairing damaged infrastructure, safeguarding cultural heritage, and conducting clean-up operations,” the EU Commission said. 

Over 50 percent of Italian tax returns submitted through ‘simplified’ option

Over 50 percent of tax returns filed so far this year were submitted through the so-called ‘simplified’ filing option, the Italian tax office said in a statement.

Under the simplified option, Italy’s 730 tax return forms (modelli 730) are automatically filled out by the tax office, with taxpayers required to check the displayed information, edit it if and where necessary and then submit the form.

READ ALSO: The Italian tax calendar for 2024: Which taxes are due when?

So far, around 40 percent of ‘simplified’ filings have been submitted without any additional changes, the tax office said. 

The deadline to submit Italy’s 730 form – which is Italy’s main tax return form for employees and pensioners – falls on September 30th this year.