Alitalia was a symbol of Italy, flown by popes and movie stars and Italian politicians. In the 1990s, it carried around 25 million passengers a year and was one of the ten largest airlines in Europe.
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However, in the new millennium, management has not been able to adapt to the changing market, from which it has taken an increasing share of low-cost airlines. It also paid for the rise in fuel prices and numerous strikes. Since 2000, it has only been in the black once. Last year, Alitalia reported a loss of 20 million euros (522 million CZK). Revenues from the previous year due to the pandemic fell by 90 percent to 2.4 billion euros. Alitalia’s non-profit operating costs have fallen by € 2.2 billion since 2002.
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The last flight of Alitalia
Photo: Remo Casilli, Reuters
The end of Alitalia was regretted by Giorgia Meloni, head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party:
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Unsuccessful rescue attempts
Italy has repeatedly tried to save its symbol. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has made great efforts to make this clear that he does not want the national carrier to go bankrupt. In August 2008, the airlines applied for creditor protection, before the government amended the bankruptcy law to allow their rescue and takeover by a consortium of CAI investors, which approved the sale of 25 percent of the shares to Air France-KLM.
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However, the company was once again approaching bankruptcy, and in 2014 another rescue program awaited it, which, however, did not bring results. Since 2017, Alitalia has been insolvent and under special administration, and last year it was taken over by the entire state. He has poured over eight billion euros into the company in the last three years.
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New airlines
When the rescue failed, the government decided to build a new state-owned carrier, ITA, on the wreckage, the last coffin in the coffin, with € 700 million invested, gradually doubling within three years.
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Airbus A320 of the new Italian carrier ITA
Photo: ČTK / AP
ITA has only 52 aircraft, of which only seven long-range long-haul aircraft, and 2,800 employees, while Alitalia had over ten thousand and 110 aircraft in its fleet. The question is what will happen to the remaining 7,000 employees who will receive money from the government by September 2022.
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The new carrier would also like to get the name Alitalia and its traditional Italian white-red-green color. However, the European Commission has made it clear to the country that the new carrier must not be connected to the original one, can only take over part of the slots and must not take over all the employees. ITA must be profitable by 2025. The company should already have 105 aircraft and 5,500 people.
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