Hundreds of strikers block road to Rome airport, disrupt flights

Demonstrators block the highway during a protest against the new state-owned airline Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA), successor to Alitalia, at the Fiumicino airport near Rome, Italy, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

FIUMICINO, Italy (Reuters) - Hundreds of striking air workers blocked the highway to Rome's main airport on Friday as they called on the government to avoid job losses in the transition between Alitalia and a new carrier dubbed ITA.

The protesters sat down in the middle of the road linking Fiumicino airport to the capital as police with shields looked on. The strike action forced Alitalia and other airlines to cancel more than 130 flights, officials said.