Strikes strand tourists, travellers at Italy's airports

Rome: Tourists and travellers at airports across Italy are facing delays and cancelled flights thanks to strikes by air traffic controllers and air transport workers.

Italy's flagship carrier, Alitalia, said it was cancelling some 40 per cent of its domestic and international flights today. Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and other carriers also were cancelling flights due to the four-hour work action from 1 pm to 5 pm (local time) by air traffic controllers and the 24-hour strike by transport workers.

It's the first day of a difficult week for transport in Italy, with another taxi strike planned for Thursday and traffic chaos expected Saturday in Rome when the city hosts EU leaders for a summit.