Time's up for Alitalia. And in fact, today, 15 October, was the last of the many postponements already granted to the attempt – yet another – to rescue the national airline. It doesn't seem that Atlantia and FS are able to bring a definitive solution to the puzzle to the commissioners, and the latter to the government. Probable - barring news not currently foreseen - a commitment by Fs, Atlantia and Delta to continue the ongoing negotiations, but how it is still to be defined.
Thus a new postponement is looming - perhaps by a few weeks and not months - at the end of the board meetings of the two companies convened during the day. For the Treasury it means putting its hands back on its wallet in order to avoid the bankruptcy of Alitalia: the 900 million public loan has now almost dried up and a new request for 300 million would have arrived from the commissioners to keep the company alive. In all, 29 months of extraordinary management have already passed and six postponements have been necessary without reaching a conclusion yet.
The probable mini-postponement (and consequent public disbursement) will have to be examined by the EU which by now makes no secret of concretely evaluating even the hypothesis of bankruptcy of the Italian carrier. But at what point has the negotiation between the potential new members reached? Atlantia to enter the capital, he asked at least that there be a "strong and convinced" industrial partner and an adequate industrial plan that supports the commitment of the partners. This translates into the request for a greater share for routes to North America and a leading role for Alitalia within the Blue Sky alliance, already underway but with a marginal role for the Italian company. Delta, on the other hand, is struggling to rise above 100 million investment and Lufthansa, which has also come forward, is not willing to throw out a penny to enter the capital but only to start a "strong commercial agreement".
