Alitalia flying with temporary license
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...
Posted on: September 23rd, 2008 by Andrew Bones
The Italian minister of transport, Altero Matteoli, has stressed that without a rescue deal, Alitalia flights will most likely be grounded in less than one week.
“Alitalia is flying with a temporary licence,” the head of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, Vito Riggio, said to national media. “If a financial plan does not arrive within three or four days, the licence will be suspended.”
Riggio’s comments were made in advance of a meeting with the administrator the Italian government appointed to deal with the financially-embattled airline, which appears to be on the brink of collapse.
Alitalia has told its customers that flights would operate as normal, even though several days ago the carrier cancelled dozens of flights, citing “technical reasons.”
A rescue plan for Italy’s flagship carrier was put together last week by an investor group, but the deal was rejected by six out of nine of Alitalia’s unions - objecting to the loss of over 3,000 jobs.
The airline is now urgently seeking a foreign buyer, and, on its website, has formally invited interested investors to submit tenders by the end of the month.
Interest among European airlines seems to have dissipated, although at one time, Air France-KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa were all seen as possible buyers.
www.alitalia.com