The fate of the Italian airline Alitalia remains highly uncertain as it continues to lose over half a million euros a day. The largest shareholder, Etihad, is currently contemplating a cut of 2,000 of the company’s staff and the grounding of over 20 aircraft, but the move would give rise to widescale industrial action by the company’s unions and increased hostility from a government that continues to see the airline as its flagbearer abroad. The fate of the company was sealed once its low cost rival Ryanair opened up more international flights from Italian airports. Alitalia would be better served by a merger with Lufthansa, but both companies have so far denied that such plans have been tabled.