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Unionised pilots at Korean Air Lines went on strike Thursday for the first time in 11 years, disrupting some flights on the airline’s major Asian and Middle Eastern routes. The pilots entered the 10-day strike after talks with management broke down, following nearly a year of wage negotiations. Over the next 10 days, the strike is expected to lead to the cancellation of as many as 150 passenger and cargo flights on the carrier’s domestic and international routes, including to Hong Kong, Dubai and Tokyo, according to the transport ministry. Korean Air said disruptions will be limited and that more than 90% of flights scheduled for the next 10 days will be unaffected. The strike comes as more Korean pilots are moving to China, where demand for aviators is outpacing supply. <br/>

Alitalia has launched a new strategy aimed at cutting costs, as a previous plan to turn around the airliner has failed to stem its losses. After 2 years of intense work to turn around a company that was on the brink of bankruptcy, Alitalia said Thursday that further cost cuts are needed. Without such efforts, “Alitalia has no future,” said CE Cramer Ball. “The next two months are crucial for Alitalia,“ said Ball. ”It’s vital that all the main stakeholders…accept radical changes that we need." After years of political interference and disastrous management, Alitalia hit bottom in 2014. Etihad then scooped up a 49% stake in the carrier for less than E400m. Since then, it has expanded the carrier’s routes, redesigned the interiors of its aging fleet and retrained most of its staff. But the effort wasn’t enough. <br/>