Alitalia was struggling to keep in the air on Friday after a day of failed efforts to reach an agreement on job losses and new labour contracts between union leaders and a group of Italian investors offering to rescue the airline.

Italy’s flag carrier, which sought bankruptcy protection last month, managed to keep operations going after dozens of cancellations on Thursday. About 100 flight attendants staged a noisy protest around check-in counters at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.