Thousands face job losses at airline

Etihad, the Abu Dhabi airline, is set to buy 49% of the Italian carrier Alitalia. However, 2,251 of the Italian company’s staff of around 14,000 will lose their jobs in the process.

The proposed job losses, which include 122 pilots and 258 flight attendants, were revealed to unions last month.

Etihad plans to invest ¤1.25 billion (around £1 billion) in the deal, with just under half being spent on purchasing shares and the rest developing the fleet.

Alitalia has faced financial difficulties for some time and 787 of those set to go are already not working, with their reduced wages paid by the state.