Alitalia is poised to double its number of lay-offs to save itself from bankruptcy, according to reports.
The crisis strategy calls for 5,200 jobs to be slashed.
An earlier emergency plan, approved following the September attacks, included cutting 2,500 jobs, grounding more than a dozen planes and reducing Alitalia's flight schedule.
Alitalia refused to comment on the reports.
The company's board of directors is expected to discuss the new measures at a meeting on Monday.
On the same day, the airline's pilots will stage a four-hour strike to protest the proposed layoffs.
Already a money-losing operation before the attacks in New York and Washington, Alitalia suffered heavy losses during the shutdown of flights in the United States.
Since then, like all other airlines, it has watched passenger demand drop sharply and is now facing what it called "a crisis without precedent for civil aviation since World War II".
The Treasury Ministry, which still owns 53% of the airline, is coming to its rescue.
Initially it provided financial guarantees to compensate for insurance coverage.