Athens - More than 200 workers at Greek state carrier Olympic Airlines blocked the taxiway at Athens International Airport for more than 20 minutes Thursday over plans to shut down and privatise the airline.

The demonstration ended up blocking the runway but did not affect any flights, officials at the airport said.

The European Commission on Wednesday certified the death of Greek carrier Olympic Airlines and the birth of a new airline in its stead by endorsing privatization plans while ordering the old company to pay back more than 1 billion dollars in illegal state aid.

Wednesday's decision was expected to reverberate in other European countries that are struggling to save their flagship carriers at a time of high oil prices and slowing economic growth.

The more than 8,000 employees at Olympic oppose the government's plan to privatise the airline, despite promises of early retirement payoffs and transfers to other public sector jobs.

The fate of Olympic Airlines follows that of other European carriers such as Belgium's Sabena, which reincarnated as Brussels Airlines and is now being taken over by Germany's Lufthansa.

It could also set an example for Alitalia, which is estimated to be losing around 2 million euros a day.

Trade unions representing some of Alitalia's cabin crew have gone on strike in Italy over a government-backed rescue plan for the state- controlled airline. The plan involves the airline's takeover by a group of Italian investors, CAI, and at least 3,000 job cuts. (dpa)