Green light from the Antitrust to the acquisition of Windjet by Alitalia. However, the Authority sets conditions to eliminate the anti-competitive effects that would otherwise have been created on the Catania-Milan, Palermo-Milan and Catania-Rome routes.
In particular, for the four IATA seasons following the currently ongoing Summer 2012 season, Alitalia will have to issue:
1) on the Catania-Milan Linate route: up to 2 pairs of slots (equivalent to two take-off rights and two landing rights), corresponding to the flights operated by WindJet in the Iata Summer 2012 and Winter 2011/2012 seasons;
2) on the Palermo-Milan Linate route: 1 pair of slots (equivalent to a take-off fee and a landing fee), corresponding to the flights operated by WindJet in the IATA Summer 2012 and Winter 2011/2012 seasons;
3) on the Catania-Rome Fiumicino route: up to 2 pairs of slots (equivalent to two take-off rights and two landing rights), corresponding to flights operated in the morning (7-9) and evening (19-21) slots by WindJet in the previous IATA Summer 2012 and Winter 2011/2012 seasons.
The allocation of slots must be managed by a third party, independent of Alitalia, who is not exposed to conflicts of interest. The subject will be selected by the same company within 30 days and the choice must be approved by the Authority.
