The airline Alitalia is looking for buyers. While Delta Air Lines and easyJet seem to be well positioned, Air France-KLM appears to have thrown in the towel.
The Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), which is overseeing Alitalia's recovery plan, is confident about the airline's future. She sees many potential synergies between the two companies, such as those concerning services and pricing.
While it has still not announced the names of the buyers, some elements have leaked. Thus, according to Il Sole 24 Ore, Air France-KLM has decided to withdraw from Delta Air Lines' negotiations with Ferrovie dello Stato (FS). Corriere della Serra points out that the company would "not be willing to invest the 200 million euros" requested.
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The Delta Airlines proposal would be the preferred one for the time being. It consists in basing long-haul operations in Rome, under the management of the American company, and medium-haul flights in Milan, under the management of easyJet, which has not yet been convinced.
The proposal of the American company, whose president Glen Hauenstein worked at Alitalia as COO and CCO between 2003 and 2005, would have the approval of the Italian government which owns shares in it. He would welcome the fact that this strategy would "not lead to any job losses" and would be "easier to implement".
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Finally, the German airline Lufthansa was also mentioned among the names of the buyers, but its boss Carsten Spohr told La Stampa that it was "out of the question for us to invest alongside a public entity."
