Alitalia fly to Lufthansa. Corriere della Sera writes it, specifying however that the offer of the German giant for the Italian company is not yet sufficient and will have to be improved. As confirmed by Carlo Calenda, Minister of Economic Development, the offers received in recent months for the former national carrier are three. However, Lufthansa's appears to have a clear advantage over them of the British low-cost EasyJet and the American fund Cerberus.
The German company seems to offer better guarantees in terms of financial solidity and industrial prospects in the medium term. On this point, both the three commissioners (Luigi Gubitosi, Enrico Laghi and Stefano Paleari) and the two ministers following the case (in addition to Calenda, the head of infrastructure, Graziano Delrio) are in agreement.
It should start in January exclusive negotiation with Lufthansa. The goal would be to close the sale within the month, or at the latest by early February, to prevent the operation from being exploited during the next electoral campaign. But also to prevent the decision from being handled by whoever comes after the spring vote.
If the deal really goes through, it is probable that the German company will choose to entrust the routes of long range, reserving medium and short distances to Eurowings, the low cost subsidiary. Fiumicino airport should be valued as a southern European hub.
The real problem is that of redundancies. Lufthansa's offer only concerns the Alitalia flight sector, with a total of around 8 employees. The German company would like to cut about 2 thousand: too many according to the commissioners and the government, who have asked to stop at a thousand.
The other point on which agreement is still lacking is the sale price. Lufthansa had initially offered 300 million euros, but commissioners and the government want at least 500.
As for the part handling, that of ground services, has another 3.500 employees and is outside the perimeter of the Lufthansa offer. Four more offers arrived for this part of the company. But on this front, times could be longer.
