The relaunch of Italy’s ailing airline Alitalia as a smaller, privately-owner carrier has been disrupted by protests. Once a symbol of Italy’s post-war economic boom, Alitalia filed for bankruptcy last year, as a result of mismanagement, excessive costs and labour strifeIts new, slim-line version now belongs to a group of Italian investors and Air France KLM, Europe’s biggest airline. But workers at Milan’s Malpensa airport are worried: “We don’t like the alliance with Air France because Air France will divert passengers away from Malpensa and take them to Paris,” said one employee. “So our airports will be damaged by it.”

At Rome’s Fiumicino airport, protests caused delays of more than two hours. Alitalia first took to the skies 62 years ago in the tumultuous period after World War Two, and later became known as the preferred carrier of popes, princes and prima donnas.More about: Air France, Airlines, Alitalia

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