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17th Mar 2017

Alitalia cancels 40 per cent of its flights on 20 March because of planned strikes

Italian air carrier Alitalia has cancelled 40 per cent of its flights on Monday due to strikes, as it meets with unions to discuss layoffs under new business plans.

The airline said today that cancellations are due to a four-hour strike by air traffic controllers and a 24-hour strike by unions operating in the transport sector. According to the airline, flights during morning and afternoon peak travel hours would operate as scheduled, with bigger planes being deployed to carry as many passengers as possible both domestically and internationally.

Unions, meanwhile, pledged broader mobilisation to protest cuts announced as part of a broad plan to relaunch the airline and compete on short-haul routes with low-cost carriers. The news agency ANSA, citing union sources, reported that more than 2,000 layoffs are expected.