There is no peace for Alitalia. Above all, "there is no market solution at hand", confirmed the prime minister Giuseppe Conte, after Atlantia withdrew from the consortium. Among the possible patches, the government would be evaluating the hypothesis of an intervention by Invitalia, the financial arm of the Ministry of Economic Development, where the petrol is the Treasury funds.
According to the Courier, Alitalia is close to violating international competition of carriers that could take over the landing rights and the related market share. Since an offer that enhances the company as a whole has failed within the established times, it would now be being evaluated the possible fragmentation of Alitalia in three companies: a first made up of 6.500 employees including pilots and flight attendants, with the greater interest of Lufthansa which would transform it into one of its regional divisions, as the German flag carrier was never slow to point out during the negotiations past months; a second for ground assistance, made up of about 3 people and, finally, a third which includes the maintenance workers, i.e. another 2 people. At that point the redundancies to be managed, massively resorting to layoffs could concern 5 thousand people, implying a refinancing of the air transport fund fed with a surcharge on the cost of the ticket for all flights to and from Italy, as the source explains.
The evaluations in progress quantify the cost of Alitalia's work at 589 million euros, including the tax revenue transferred to the Treasury. The figure also includes the contributions paid to INPS and Inail and the payroll of 11.500 workers, halved in the last ten years, first due to the 2008 bankruptcy, then due to the 2014 restructuring with the entry of Ethiad.
However, Economic Development Minister Stefano Patuanelli said: "We are evaluating various possibilities, the stew and the sale of separate assets tomorrow is not among them."
The most urgent solution - while the government awaits the official letter from the three commissioners Daniele Discepolo, Enrico Laghi and Stefano Paleari - contemplates the entry into the field of a new super-commissioner, supported by an expert in the sector, who should guarantee business continuity and the guarantee of new 400 million euro bridging loan from the European Union.
“At the scheduled deadline of November 21, the binding offer has not been formalised. So the offer of Fs and Delta remains. Let's see if Lufthansa's interest will be confirmed. We are obviously evaluating alternatives right now," said Prime Minister Conte.
