Five airport employees face five years in prison.

Five baggage handlers at Rome's Fiumicino airport face jail terms of five years after being caught stealing luggage, according to Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The employees, currently suspended, were caught stealing suitcases from the hold of aircrafts several times during a police investigation in recent days.

The sting operation followed numerous complaints by airlines that luggage was going missing from the Rome airport.

The thieves appeared to have favoured stealing bags from night flights with inter-continental connections, to allow the maximum amount of time until the thefts were reported.