Delta and EasyJety, the announced buyers of Alitalia, no longer seem to be in such a hurry to close the deal.
While everything was supposed to be completed this month with Delta and Easyjet taking over 49% of Alitalia’s capital (Air France’s participation in the deal at a later stage, if considered, no longer seems to be an issue), it seems that we will have to wait a little longer.
Helping yes, buying…we’ll see
Delta has confirmed that it wants to help the Italian airline, but remains unclear as to how this could happen: a shareholding is possible, but other mechanisms such as aid could also be envisaged.
The same is true for EasyJet where they say that it is urgent to wait and that “no planning has been defined”.
Put under administration for several months and in search of a buyer, Alitalia still does not know what its future will be. And time is running out: even if the results seem to be improving lately, the airline remains as fragile as ever and will not be able to stand alone forever.
The weight of the Italian state weighs on the deal
What makes Delta back off? Probably the same reason that made Lufthansa back down on the file: the will of the Italian State to remain in majority with local institutional investors. Delta has made it clear that there was no question of anything if the airline could not influence Alitalia’s strategy. This shows thatstate ownership is not a problem only at Air France-KLM.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic joint venture is being reorganized with the arrival of Virgin Atlantic, and Alitalia’s future within it seems to be linked to its future shareholding. A situation that Alitalia must quickly clarify with its partners Delta, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
Photo : Alitalia by NextNewMedia via shutterstock
Articles similaires
But where is Alitalia going (and with whom)?
Code-sharing between Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Delta and KLM: finally!
