ITALY’S former national air carrier Alitalia has started procedures for the collective dismissal of its remaining 2,059 employees, the bankrupt airline’s administrators have told unions.

Those who stand to lose their jobs in January include more than 1,100 flight attendants and 82 pilots, according to a letter sent to the unions last week, as the company moves towards final liquidation.

The redundancies come as the successor to Alitalia, ITA Airways, faces obstacles to its merger plans with German Lufthansa.