Alitalia warning strike - flights to Germany canceled

The holiday season is starting, and Italy is desperately turned away from tourists.

In this situation there are warning strikes at the economically troubled airline Alitalia.

Rome / Milan (dpa) - Italian transport unions have called on airline staff in Italy to go on a warning strike.

The appeal was addressed to employees of several airlines, including the Italian airline Alitalia, which is about to go, according to a joint communication from the unions.

The employee representatives demanded that layoffs be stopped and that the money from the wage equalization fund continue to be paid.

They wanted to use the protest to support the staff in handling and catering as well as the seasonal workers.

The warning strike falls at a time when the loosest corona rules apply to most of the country in Italy and more tourists are flying there on vacation or arriving over the weekend.

According to media information, the airports in Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate should be on strike.

Alitalia initially did not respond to a request.

Online on the website of the airport in Rome it could be seen that many Alitalia flights were canceled in the afternoon.

The warning strike was scheduled for 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Rome-Munich and Frankfurt-Rome connections were also affected.

Alitalia has not made a profit for years and is dependent on government aid.

It is to be replaced by the more streamlined Italia Trasporto Aereo (Ita).

The new airline actually wanted to take off in the spring.

However, until recently there was a dispute with the EU competition authorities about landing rights.

On Thursday, the Italian Ministry of Economic Affairs also announced that the manager Alfredo Altavilla would be the new Ita boss.

The transport union Fit-Cisl took this as a sign that the government was trying to accelerate the Ita start.

However, she also demanded that this should not mean any further downsizing of the new company.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210618-99-46691 / 3

Message from the Fit-Cisl union (Italian)

Communication from the UILTrasporti union (Italian)

Online search Aeroporti di Roma Fiumicino for Alitalia flights between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (Italian)

Communication from the Fit-Cisl union to Altavilla (Italian)