A deal between struggling Italian
carrier Alitalia and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways should go
through this week, Italian Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi told
the Lower House on Wednesday.
"I think this week, as announced, the work carried out in
the past few months will reach a conclusion," he said.
Lupi said last week that Etihad would shortly decide
whether to buy a stake in Alitalia.
Talks are ongoing over whether the Gulf carrier, which is
vying to broaden its network in Europe, could buy up to 40% in
the troubled Italian airline.
In early February, Etihad and Alitalia issued a joint
statement saying they were in the "final phase" of negotiations
for a deal that would see the Abu Dhabi carrier buy as much as a
40% stake in its Italian counterpart, the equivalent of a
much-needed capital injection of 350 million euros.
But the arrangement, as well as other plans to bring
Alitalia back to profitability, have been controversial.
In addition to Lufthansa's competition, the owner of
British Airways has said that a plan coordinated by the Italian
government to rescue Alitalia triggered the same concerns.
The complaints came as Alitalia was poised to sign a
200-million-euro financing deal with banks as part of a
500-million-euro bailout package engineered by the previous
Italian government last autumn.
This also included a controversial 74-million euro
investment by Italy's state-owned post office Poste Italiane.
International Airlines Group (IAG), the holding company
that owns British Airways, Iberia and Vueling called that a form
of protectionism and is illegal under EU laws governing state
assistance to businesses.
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