Travelers faced more airport chaos while Alitalia planned on cutting 50 flights due to the strike action at airports in Italy. There were delays, cancellations, and long lines awaiting travelers following a wildcat strike involving some of Alitalia’s workers, forcing the airline to cut dozens of their flights. Some of the disputes were so heated that they were intervened by police.

On Tuesday, the second day in a row, dozens of flights with Alitalia were canceled due to protests by their staff, who are opposing a takeover by the Compagnia Aerea Italian group, forcing around 100 flights to be canceled on Monday. The government has even threatened tough action on the striking workers.

Lines at the airline’s counters at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome reached 200 feet, while the terminal had a hard time backlogging hundreds of passengers, of whom stayed overnight, sleeping in chairs and on the floor due to the canceled flights. The carrier said that 124 flights total were canceled among its operations on Tuesday because of the protests. Alitalia predicted that 50 more flights would be cut on Wednesday.

The cabin crew and pilots of the airline are striking due to new work contracts that the Compagnia Aerea Italian group proposed, which has a plan to buy the profitable parts of the carrier for €375 million to relaunch it. The group has backing from 4 major unions and is pressing on with the agreement even though the stewards and pilots are resisting. They are also planning to approach the workers individually for job offers.

Find out more about Alitalia at: www.alitalia.com