A strike by employees at Italian state-controlled airline Alitalia forced the cancellation of 364 flights today and put further pressure on the debt-laden carrier's balance sheet.
Check-in desks at Rome's Fiumicino airport were deserted and baggage carousels silent as staff walked off the job for the day, protesting over a restructuring plan that would reduce its workforce by 2,700, or some 12 per cent.
The walkout, the second official strike since the company presented its three-year plan in October, affected about 18,000 passengers. On top of the cancellations, Alitalia had to reschedule a further 64 flights.
Earlier this month the airline, which has forecast operating losses of more than €400 million for 2003, lifted a planned pay-freeze that had enraged employees and unions and delayed a final decision on the job cuts pending further labour talks.