All Milan-bound flights diverted to Rome and Turin as thunderstorms hit Lombardy

Disruption overview

Severe thunderstorms over northern Italy forced all flights inbound to Milan to divert on 16 August 2026 after visibility over Lombardy dropped sharply. Aircraft approaching Malpensa, Linate, and Bergamo were rerouted to Rome Fiumicino Airport and Turin Airport, creating major arrival delays for passengers who were already close to their destination.

Among the confirmed diversions were Emirates flight EK91 from Dubai and Air Cairo flight SM803 from Cairo to Rome, while Turin took several flights from Krakow, Palermo, Lisbon, and Catania. Because the disruption was caused by weather, compensation is unlikely under EC 261, but airlines should still provide care, assistance, and rerouting support.

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Disruption details

All commercial flights approaching Milan were diverted on 16 August 2026 after severe thunderstorms swept across northern Italy and sharply reduced visibility over Lombardy. Aircraft bound for Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, and Bergamo were rerouted to Rome Fiumicino Airport and Turin Airport as air-traffic control activated a full diversion plan.

For passengers, this meant longer journeys, uncertain arrival times, and likely hours of extra waiting after already being close to landing. Even though no cancellations had been announced at the time of writing, every diverted service was expected to arrive significantly late.

The weather worsened through the afternoon, with visibility dropping to about 3 km and the cloud ceiling lowering to roughly 1,000 ft over Lombardy. Eurocontrol had warned operators earlier in the day that rapidly developing storm clouds were building in the Milano Flight Information Region. As conditions deteriorated in the early evening, arriving aircraft were first kept in extended holding patterns before diversions were ordered.

The disruption affected flights regardless of which Milan airport they were scheduled to use. Services heading for Malpensa, Linate, and Bergamo were all caught up in the same plan, with Rome Fiumicino Airport and Turin Airport taking the extra arrivals.

Among the confirmed diversions were:

• Emirates flight EK91 from Dubai diverted to Rome Fiumicino Airport.

• Air Cairo flight SM803 from Cairo was also sent to Rome.

• Turin accepted at least five arrivals, including Wizz Air flight W62067 from Krakow and Ryanair flight FR3730 from Catania.

• EasyJet flight U27669 from Lisbon, along with services from Palermo operated by Wizz Air and EasyJet, were among the flights rerouted to Turin.

Ground teams at both diversion airports began preparing onward surface transport to Milan and working on contingency departure slots for once the storms clear. Airlines told passengers to keep checking their direct flight-status channels for rebooking and onward travel information.

As of 7:41 pm UTC on 16 August, the disruption was still ongoing. Thunderstorms were expected to continue for several more hours, and there was still no confirmed time for normal operations to resume in Milan. There were no reports of injuries or aircraft damage, and operations in Rome and Turin were continuing normally apart from the added traffic.

Because this disruption was caused by severe weather, compensation under EC 261 is unlikely. Although compensation is unlikely here, that doesn't mean you're without support. If you're delayed for several hours or stranded overnight, your airline should still provide care and assistance, which can include meals, refreshments, accommodation, transport to that accommodation, and rerouting or a refund where relevant. If you'd like to check your situation, AirHelp's free flight checker is a simple place to start.

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