AGI – It could be the right time for the agreement between the Italian government and the EU commission in preparation for the take-off of the new Alitalia. Economic Development Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti meets Competition Commissioner Marghgrete Vestager. The Alitalia dossier was also at the center of the meeting, in addition to the issues more strictly within the Mise such as energy interruptibility, territorial continuity, support for companies in crisis and raw materials. Precisely for this reason, according to what AGI learns, the Minister of Economy Daniele Franco will also be on video link.
It should not be the decisive meeting but it will be a further step towards the solution of the affair that has been dragging on for several months. The new company should leave after the summer, contravening the hopes of the CEO of Ita Fabio Lazzerini, on the other hand the government has guaranteed the operations and salaries of Alitalia employees in extraordinary administration with the 100 million envisaged by the Sostegni bis decree. Even if Lazzerini at the hearing in Parliament had hoped for a green light within the summer season, this will not compromise the operation.
“It is important – pointed out the manager in the Chamber at the end of April – to start the process with the transfer not in full but to be commercially active and from the point of view of communication”. A solution could be represented by the fact that the new company could manage the sale of Alitalia tickets. A first handover, before the final closing and the official take-off scheduled for September.
To save the brand, the Italian government could sacrifice Millemiglia which will be sold. The newco is expected to start with 55-60 aircraft and 5,000 employees. Part of the redundancies (over 5,000 out of a total of about 11,000 employees) would be covered by early retirement. An acceptable result compared to the initial requests from Brussels: 45 aircraft and 4,000 employees. This fact will allow Alitalia to ‘save’ part of the Linate slots, a percentage that should be lower than the 50% initially requested by Vestager.
Last week the technicians of the government and the Commission worked on the dossier so much that on Thursday, at the end of the Council of Ministers that passed the Sotegni bis decree, the Economy Minister Daniele Franco said he was optimistic. “A dossier that has been dragging on for some time, we are getting closer to a solution, to an agreement with the European Commission for the start-up of a new company, Ita, “said Franco.” The important question from the Commission is that there is a discontinuity between the old Alitalia and the new Ita and I think we should shortly find this solution and allow Ita to leave “, added the minister.
The meeting between the unions and the Alitalia commissioners in extraordinary administration is also scheduled for tomorrow. As happened for the last meeting, the meeting will be interlocutory pending news from Brussels.
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