Alitalia bleeds around 300 million euros a year: administrator - Reuters
Speaking ahead of the same committee on Tuesday, Joerg Eberhart, the president and chief executive of Lufthansa’s Air Dolomiti unit, made clear the German carrier was offering a commercial partnership to Alitalia, not an equity investment.
“A deep restructuring is unavoidable for Alitalia,” Eberhart said, adding that, once restructured, the Italian carrier could decide which European airline alliance to join. He said Lufthansa was still interested in working with the Italian group.
A commercial partnership with Lufthansa (
LHAG.DE) would boost revenues at the ailing Italian airline by 100 million euros annually in the medium term, Eberhart said.
Lufthansa would also be interested in Rome’s Fiumicino airport as a new hub for Southern Europe, the German manager said.
He said Alitalia should join Lufthansa in the Star Alliance, the world’s largest group of carriers, allowing them to cooperate on marketing routes and pricing.