Italy-Spain: border checks and disrupted flights, what to do?

Between Italy and Spain, checks have been reintroduced at the internal Schengen air and sea borders. This article helps you understand what the rules provide, which documents to keep with you, and what your rights are if your flight is cancelled or heavily delayed. It also indicates where to follow official information. The dates given are those from the European Commission list consulted on 20 October 2026.

Border checks within Schengen: what the rules provide

The Schengen Borders Code allows a State to temporarily reintroduce controls at all or part of its internal borders in case of a serious threat to public policy or internal security^[1]. This measure must remain exceptional and respect the principles of necessity and proportionality^[1].

The duration depends on the situation. Faced with an unforeseeable serious threat, a State may reintroduce controls immediately for one month, without prior notification^[1]. When the threat is foreseeable (a major sporting event, for example), controls are limited to six months^[1]. In that case, the State notifies the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the other Member States at least four weeks before the planned reintroduction or extension^[1].

The European Commission publishes the complete list of Member States' notifications on the “Temporary reintroduction of border control” page of its Migration and Home Affairs website. It is the official reference to consult before departure^[1].

Where things stand: Italy-Spain notifications (status as of 20 October 2026)

According to the Commission list consulted on 20 October 2026, Italy has notified controls from 16 to 23 October 2026 on all its internal air and sea borders with Spain^[1]. Spain has notified controls from 8 to 22 October 2026 on all its internal air and sea borders with Italy^[1].

These dates may change: check the Commission list again before each departure. For current news, including the eruption of Etna, see the Hello Mira alerts.

What these checks actually look like

The available descriptions date from August 2026, when the first measures were introduced. They come from the press and the Spanish Ministry of the Interior; the arrangements may have changed since.

On the Italian side, in early August the press described “random and limited” checks carried out by the border police, focused on flights from Spain and only on third-country nationals, meaning non-EU nationals^[2].

On the Spanish side, the Ministry of the Interior stated in August that checks on air and sea connections were carried out “on a random basis”, focusing in particular on passengers who are third-country nationals^[3]. It specified that the flights checked do not concern all flights or all passengers, and that verification takes place at the exit of the jet bridge leading out of the aircraft, without disrupting the flow of passengers^[3].

Which documents to keep with you

The checks aim to verify compliance with the requirements of the Schengen Borders Code^[3]. A passenger may be refused boarding for reasonable grounds, in particular if their travel documents do not meet the carrier's transport conditions or national or international regulations^[4]. The identity documents or visas required for the chosen destination are among the documents to prepare^[4].

• Keep your valid identity card or passport in your hand luggage, not in the hold, so you can present it when leaving the aircraft or at the check.
• If you are a third-country national, also keep on you the visa or residence permit that authorises your stay in the Schengen area.
• Before departing, check your airline's document requirements: it may refuse boarding if your papers are not compliant.
• Allow extra time at the airport or port on days when checks are announced.

Checking your flight status before departure

Look up your booking with the airline from which you bought your ticket and make sure it has up-to-date contact details to reach you in case of a change. Keep your booking reference and the airline's contact details close at hand: you will need them in case of cancellation, delay or claim^[5].

Routine checks may lengthen your airport arrival and departure times. Allow a buffer in your schedule and a backup plan: another connection or another airport if your connection is tight.

Cancelled or heavily delayed flight: your rights

If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a refund, re-routing or a return flight, as well as assistance at the airport^[6]. In practice, the airline must let you choose between three options: a refund, re-routing as soon as possible, or re-routing at a later date^[6].

If you arrive at your final destination with a delay of at least 3 hours, you are entitled to compensation, unless the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances^[6]. If your flight is delayed by at least 5 hours at departure, the airline must offer you a refund of your ticket^[6].

While you wait, the airline must provide you with free assistance. If your journey is interrupted, you must report to the airline^[6]. If you did not receive assistance and paid for meals or refreshments yourself, the airline must reimburse you, provided these expenses were necessary, appropriate and reasonable^[6]. So keep your receipts.

Pitfalls to avoid and points to watch

• Travel documents that do not comply with the carrier's conditions of carriage or with regulations may justify a denial of boarding^[4].
• "Extraordinary circumstances" can deprive you of compensation: decisions related to air traffic management, political instability, adverse weather conditions and security risks are among them^[6]. The airline must prove this, for example by providing extracts from flight logs^[6]. Ask it to justify its position.
• Lost or damaged checked baggage requires a written claim to the airline within 7 days, or within 21 days after collection if it was delayed. There is no standard form at European level^[6].
• The protections of the European regulation do not apply to passengers travelling free of charge or on a reduced fare not accessible, directly or indirectly, to the public (for example airline, travel agency or tour operator employees)^[4].
• The rules are set to change: in July 2026 the EU adopted a revision of air passenger rights, which is expected to enter into force next summer. Until then, the existing rules continue to apply^[5].

Filing a claim and getting help

Start by contacting the transport company from which you bought your ticket, using the complaint form it provides^[5].

If there is no response within 2 months for an air or sea carrier, or if you are not satisfied with the response, you can file a complaint with the competent national authority in the country where the problem occurred^[5]. In Italy, the civil aviation authority (ENAC) publishes answers to frequently asked questions about passenger rights^[4].

You can also contact the European Consumer Centre in your country for help and advice^[5]. In case of persistent difficulty, out-of-court procedures and alternative dispute resolution bodies are available, but only to EU residents^[5]. Finally, the Commission offers the "Your rights as a passenger" app, available on Android and iOS^[5].

Where to follow official information

• List of notifications of internal border controls: the European Commission's "Temporary reintroduction of border control" page^[1].
• Air passenger rights: the Your Europe portal^[6] and the European Commission's page on passenger rights^[5].
• Passenger rights in Italy: ENAC's frequently asked questions^[4].
• Current news, including the Etna eruption: Hello Mira alerts.