Italy facing transport chaos tomorrow

Transport services throughout Italy will be severely disrupted tomorrow because of strike action.

Transport unions said flights will be grounded between 10am and 2pm, and Aer Lingus has had to re-schedule some services to Milan and Rome.

Train, bus, ferry and motorway operators will strike for most of the day.

The strike was announced late last night after the breakdown of talks with the government over public-sector cutbacks in the 2008 budget and the overhaul of Alitalia.

Taxi drivers are already striking and today they are staging a second day of separate protest, which could compound tomorrow's transport chaos if continued.

The drivers are opposed to plans to issue 500 new taxi licenses to try to match demand and ranks at Rome's two international airports are empty.