Italian airline cancels almost 400 flights because of strike

ROME — The major Italian airline Alitalia will cancel nearly 400 flights on Tuesday because of a planned eight-hour strike by Alitalia flight attendants and air traffic controllers, the struggling airline said.

Alitalia said 394 flights were expected to be canceled because of the impending walkout, set to last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. A strike by Alitalia flight attendants on May 3 forced the airline to scrap 350 flights.

Unions have been trying to keep up the pressure on the airline during contract negotiations.

Scattered cancellations or delays of Alitalia flights have inconvenienced travelers over the last several days. Flight crews, insisting that rules regulating the number of crew members and the hours of rest between flights be scrupulously observed, refused to fly. Italian state TV said about 30 flights were canceled on Monday because of the rule-book protest.

Strikes, low-cost competitors and high fuel costs have plagued Alitalia, which the government has put up for sale. The Italian government, with a 49.9 percent stake, is the largest stake-holder in the airline.

Making commutes in Italy even worse, taxi drivers have announced their latest nationwide strike, Italian news reports said. The May 31 strike, like one earlier this month, was called to protest Premier Romano Prodi's efforts to liberalize the taxi sector, with the aim of making more cabs available.