Holidaymakers faced delays and cancelled flights out of Gatwick today because of a strike by Italian air traffic controllers.
British Airways said it had been forced to cut a third of its flights from Gatwick to Italy during the one-day industrial action between 9am and 5pm.
An airport spokeswoman said the Italian airline Volare had also cancelled one flight.
BA customers planning to travel to or from Italy today were advised to check the airline's website at www.ba.com for details of changes to their journey.
A British Airways spokesman said passengers who had been due to take one of its five cancelled flights would be offered a refund or a replacement flight.
BA, Easyjet, Ryanair and bmi were also expected to cut services at other airports in the UK.
The Italian action also affected flights from Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh airports.
More than two- thirds of British Airway's Italian services were expected to suffer some form of disruption, while Ryanair scrapped 40 flights.
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