Italian aviation authorities said they were probing the cancellation of several Alitalia flights on Friday and Saturday for suspected technical problems, after reports that a pilot protest was really to blame. Aviation authority ENAC said the agency was looking into the nature of the "suspected technical inconveniences" and how significant those problems were.
It said it would send a report to Italy's transport minister by Tuesday on the matter. Italian news agency AGI said more than 30 flights were cancelled on Friday morning alone, followed by another 18 on Saturday, all operated by the airline's Alitalia Express unit. Citing union sources, Italian news agencies said the flights were cancelled due to a protest by pilots over Alitalia's plan to scale back its presence at its Milan hub.
ENAC did not refer to pilot protests in its statement. Alitalia on Thursday announced it would reorganise its activities in Milan, scaling back its presence there in favour of a larger presence in Rome as part of a broader plan to stem mounting losses.
The proposal immediately set off a maelstrom of criticism from local leaders and officials who fear the move will hurt the local economy and penalise local workers. Italy's national carrier is notorious for frequent, and often sudden, flight cancellations due to strikes called by its tough labour unions that represent its 20,000 workers.
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