Airlines Italian government favors Lufthansa’s Alitalia offer
According to the Italian economics minister, Lufthansa is the governments favorite for a possible takeover of the bankrupt Alitalia.
In an interview with the Italian TV station Tg1, the minister Carlo Calenda stated, that he prefers the Lufthansa offer but it requires further adjustments.
Several airlines, including Easyjet and the Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizzair are expected to be interested in parts of Alitalia.
Lufthansa could integrate Alitalia into its European low cost platform Eurowings or restructure the jet as a new Italian airline. Alitalia could become the sixth European Lufthansa airline beside Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. With the acquisition of Alitalia, the Lufthansa Group could strengthen its position as the largest carrier in Central Europe with major hubs in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
Some weeks ago, Lufthansa confirmed it would be interested in acquiring a restructured NewAlitalia. A decision regarding the sale of Alitalia is expected in the next months.
Alitalia was forced to file for bankruptcy around one year ago. The Italian carrier operates a fleet of 98 aircraft, including around 70 Airbus A320 family aircraft, 14 Airbus A330-20, and 12 Boeing 777 Family long-haul jets. The regional subsidiary Alitalia CityLiner operates a fleet of 20 Embraer aircraft.