Thousands of travellers will be left stranded today because of an eight-hour strike by Italian air traffic controllers and flight attendants.
The Italian strike is set to ground hundreds of domestic and international flights, with national airline Alitalia at its root.
The planned eight-hour strike from 10am to 6pm will ground nearly 400 flights belonging to the Alitalia fleet. It has been called by flight attendant unions in a bid to keep up pressure on the struggling Italian carrier over contract negotiations.
Other international carriers have also cancelled flights because of the walkout by Italian air traffic controllers. British Airways says it has cancelled 16 of its roundtrips to Italy - leaving from Gatwick and Heathrow.
Air travel in Italy has been disrupted for a week following flight crew walkouts at Alitalia over demands that the company adhere to rules regulating the number of crew members and hours of rest between flights.
Strikes, low-cost competitors and high fuel costs have plagued Alitalia. The Italian government, which holds a 49.9% stake in the company, is trying to sell a controlling share. On Tuesday, it said that it was prepared to sell its entire stake if it was requested to by one of the three bidders in the race to buy the carrier.
British Airways say they will be rerouting and rebooking passengers affected by today's strike. They say all services will return to normal outside the strike hours, although these may be subject to delays.
Anyone flying to Italy today should contact their airline for further information.
