Despite Qatar Airways support: Air Italy gives up. The airline is liquidated, the planes are on the ground.
Alitalia is still not saved. While the special administrators and the government in Rome are still looking for a solution with potential investors, the fate of the second largest Italian airline is sealed. Air Italy’s board of directors decided on Tuesday (February 11) to voluntarily liquidate the company.
There will still be flights under the Iata code IG in the next two weeks. But they are carried out by other airlines. Air Italy’s own planes are now on the ground. The early morning of February 26th is finally over.
Qatar Airways continued to see “great potential”
The end for the traditional airline is a defeat for Qatar Airways. The golf airline became a minority shareholder in November 2017 and bought 49 percent of the shares. The majority remained with the Italian Alisarda, behind which Karim Aga Khan IV stands, the multi-billionaire, who is also the religious leader of 20 million Ismaili Nizarites.
Qatar Airways wrote in a statement that it had believed in the airline’s “great potential” since it entered the company. They were also ready to support Air Italy. But this also required commitment from all shareholders, the golf airline continued. Apparently Alisarda didn’t want to move anymore.
Already 57 years old
Air Italy emerged from Meridiana, founded in 1963 and renamed Qatar Airways. Most recently, the fleet consisted of twelve aircraft – four Airbus A330s and eight Boeing 737s. It was originally intended that the airline would use the money of the new shareholders to transfer an aircraft fleet of 20 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft for short and medium-haul connections and 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for intercontinental flights is expanded.
–
