“After that much money spent by Italians, almost 10 billion from 2008 to date, on the survival of Alitalia, we can not accept a failure!”
This is what Armando Siri, (undersecretary of the Northern League for Infrastructures and Transport) declared to the Messaggero Roman daily. According the Messaggero, “the government has drafted a new route to bring Alitalia back into the hands of the State, with a share of capital that must be above 50%, with an intervention that is configured in two ways.
The conversion into shares of the credit for the state loan of 900 million to Alitalia (the deadline for the return was set for December 15, but it can change), or through the direct participation of companies such as Cdp (a loan Bank ) and Fs. (The Italian State Railways).
The Italian Premier Conte and his allies have decided to move the deadline to complete the procedure for the sale of the former national carrier to October 31, so now those who want to participate in the share of the minority (what remains) after the decision of the Italian state, will have to submit a new bid; with new obstacles, times and procedures.
According to the Roman newspaper, the new call for tenders will take place in September. “The route to Alitalia has been traced – explains Armando Siri, – because now we have collected almost all the data on the state of health of the company.”
As it is known, for the time being, there are Lufthansa, Air France-Delta and the low cost EasyJet, with Lufthansa being the only one to have sent an official letter confirming interest in a minority share.
“It must be clear – explains Siri – that the general approach will undergo complete changes. There will be no winding-up, no splitting of the company, but a revival to integrate the company more and more in the tourism sector. To do this we need to invest in the fleet, increase long-haul flights, which is the most profitable business.”
For those who want to propose themselves as an industrial partner, continues Siri, it will be necessary to present an “articulated plan, with an indication of the reference hub, employment levels, reservation systems, the domestic and international network on which one wants to grow”.
On the public partnership front, everything would still seem certain. “Depending on the needs we will study the situation – states Siri – with companies that deal with transport and mobility. We firmly aim to strengthen the capital and the credibility of the shareholders. Above all, we want to definitively overcome the gap that has slowed down development to date, that is, the fleet too small and weak on the long haul. While the potential for growth is enormous »
The call for tenders to submit a binding offer for (a part) of the purchase of the company sets the deadline for October 2.
