(Finance) – They are moving forward negotiations between Ita Airways and Lufthansa. The objective is to save the agreement reached between the German company and the Mef in May 2023 which provided for the sale of 41% of the Italian newco for 325 million eurosthe first stage of a process that would lead to the complete sale of the airline. The problem would have arisen precisely on the second part of the sale: the German company would have asked for one discounta request rejected by the Ministry of Economy which holds 100% of the former Alitalia and which had set the final price around 830 million euros.
In the meantime, today expires the deadline to deliver to Brussels “the remedies” required to safeguard the competition following the sale. There should therefore be the transfer to Easyjet of a series of slots to Milan-Linatewhile Air France and Iag (British, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus) would obtain slots from Fiumicino to the United States and Canada. The measures would serve to compensate for the fact that Lufthansa already owns Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and Eurowing and the European Antitrust has asked not to excessively concentrate the market in the hands of a single group with the entry of Ita into the holding.
There is concern among the representatives of the workers. Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Ugl Ta and Anpac have asked the Mef for a “clarifying” meeting in a “very short time”, inviting it to sign the document on commitments. “This failure to sign risks jeopardizing the success of the operation and if this were to happen, it would be an extremely serious matter because it would be the workers themselves who would find themselves faced with a risky scenario”, underlined the Uiltrasporti. There Filt Cgil instead he denounced that “so far as trade union organizations we have never been consulted by the Mef and we ask to be involved to have clear information”.
The same unions also ask for a discussion to be started with Alitalia You know in extraordinary administration after the company started the dismissal procedure for 2,059 employees. A “joint examination” is needed on the staff reduction procedure, according to practice, they explain. The 2,059 employees will be able to count on the redundancy payment until 31 December 2024 and then after dismissal on Naspi; the Solidarity Fund for air transport could also intervene.