ROME (Reuters) – Italian carrier ITA Airways reached a wage accord with unions on Wednesday, averting the threat of the first strike since it began flying in 2021.

The agreement envisages a realignment of pay levels for ground and flight personnel with European airlines, Filt-Cgil union official Fabrizio Cuscito said in a statement. The company and unions did not disclose the size of the wage increases.

Earlier this month, unions at the successor to former flagship airline Alitalia, which employs around 3,600 workers, had threatened to call a four-hour stoppage on Feb. 28 after the company delayed signing a deal over salaries. They had urged the government to intervene.

Rome is discussing the sale of a minority stake in the company with German carrier Lufthansa.

Salvatore Pellecchia, head of the Fit-Cisl union, said the next step is discussions on ITA’s industrial plan, “also with the new partner Lufthansa”, to assess the strategy for the airline, both in terms of fleet and workforce enlargement.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, writing by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Sharon Singleton)