The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the global logistics and cruise giant founded by Sorrentine Gianluigi Aponte but now based in Switzerland, wants to take control of Ita Airways, the small Italian company built on the ruins of Alitalia which, thanks to the pandemic , is struggling to take off.
MSC has made an offer that is now on the table of the Government, which through the Mef currently holds 100% of Ita Airways, but which seems to have a good chance of going through.
Aponte advances three conditions to formalize its offer:
1) that the industrial partner of MSC is the German company Lufthansa, which already had in mind to take a significant stake in Ita Airways;
2) to be able to acquire a majority stake in the Italian airline;
3) that the Italian Government, as Lufthansa also likes, maintains a minority stake in Ita Airways.
Both MSC and Lufthansa are asking for a quick response from the government and 90 days to conduct an exclusive negotiation to take over ITA.
Now the word is up to the Government and the Council of Ministers should examine the offer from MSC and Lufthansa in the coming days so that on January 31st the Board of Directors of Ita Airways can decide accordingly, opening the data room and providing potential buyers with all the necessary information.
If the privatization of Ita Airways were to go through, the cargo activity of the Italian company would certainly be increased, making the Lombard airport of Malpensa its point of reference, to the great satisfaction of the League.
