2012 will be an annus horribilis for air transport and for Alitalia. The president of the company, Roberto Colaninno, and the managing director Andrea Ragnetti reiterated this in the Transport commission at Montecitorio. At the end of the hearing, in the face of the reporters' insistence on the details of the meeting, Colaninno however dismissed the appointment with the deputies in a few words: "We have illustrated the situation of Alitalia as it is today, that is, good".
It is well known that the panorama is far from rosy, and in the commission Ragnetti recalled how difficult the situation for air transport is, "for reasons not attributable to the airlines". Alitalia in particular has to deal with extra costs (spending on oil in 3 years has gone from 600 million to 1 billion and 100 million), with a euro-dollar exchange rate which affects the purchase of fuel, with the crisis global impact on travel.
However, Alitalia has come out of a three-year period in which – Ragnetti retraced – steps were taken to reorganize, to renew the fleet (“one of the youngest in the world”, it was pointed out), to improve operating performance. And in perspective, the aim is to increase revenues, to increase investments in advertising communication, to revitalize the brand, to develop "the obsession with customer satisfaction in their travel experiences" and above all to "revolutionize the way the price in air transport”.
As for possible alliances and negotiations, regarding a possible commercial agreement between Etihad and Air France-KLM, which could involve Alitalia itself, Colaninno was clear: "There is nothing for us".
