Alitalia cancels 43 flights as turmoil continues
Labour protests have added to the turbulance at Rome's Fiumicino airport, forcing the Italian national carrier, Alitalia, to cancel 43 fights. Protests by ground crew on Monday caused 74 cancellations.
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Holiday travel in and out of Rome's Fiumicino airport ran into a second day of turbulence on Tuesday as Alitalia cancelled 43 flights because of labour protests, the airport news agency Telenews reported.
Four outgoing and 39 incoming flights were cancelled, Telenews said.
Ground crew protesting hiring policy on Monday led to 74 flight cancellations, and scores of passengers were stranded overnight, with many sleeping at the airport since area hotels were full, the ANSA news agency reported.
Anger boiled over into chants of "Enough, enough, we're tired" by passengers waiting at the Alitalia ticketing counter early Tuesday, ANSA said.
The ground crew are protesting hiring procedures that fail to recognise seniority ahead of Alitalia's relaunch next month after being taken over by Italian investors.
The Italian Air Company (CAI) formally took over the near-bankrupt airline in a long-awaited billion-euro deal on December 12.
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