ITA, the new slimmed-down incarnation
of national flag carreir Alitalia, will start operations in
mid-October with 2,800 employees handling the aviation
activities, a number that will go up to a maximum of 5,750 by
the end of its current business plan in 2025, he company told
trade unions Tuesday.
ITA will complete the purchase of Alitaia's aviation assets
after talks with unions have ended, but not before September 7,
the company added.
ITA, which stands for Italia Trasporto Aereo, expects to be
fully operational from October 15.
The first flights of the new smaller airline will leave on
that date, it said last month.
Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini said: "with ITA a new
important Italian airline is born, with significant growth
prospects, and which will be able to compete on the national and
international market".
ITA will start out with a fleet of 52 aircraft, which will go up
to 78 in 2022 with the arrival of new-generation aeroplanes,
according to the new company's industrial plan.
The fleet will further increase to 105 aircraft by the end of
2025, including 81 new generation aeroplanes (77% of the fleet)
to reduce the airline's environmental impact and boost
efficiency.
The company will also introduce a new labour contract aimed at
giving it greater flexibility and competitiveness.
It aims to break even by the third quarter of 2023.
Its hubs will be Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate airports.
It will start out with 45 destinations and 61 routes and this
will go up to 74 destinations and 89 routes in 2025.
Its long-haul destinations in the IATA Winter 2021 season will
be New York (from Rome and Milan, and Tokyo Haneda, Boston and
Miami (from Rome).
In the ITA Summer 2022 season there will be new flights to
Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Washington and Los Angeles.
The loss-making former flag-carrier has been in extraordinary
administration for years and the pandemic made its plight even
worse.
The European Commission asked Rome to show there would be
"discontinuity" to give the green light to the launch of ITA, a
new State-controlled company.
A European Commission spokesperson said Brussels will "remain in
close contact with the Italian authorities to ensure that the
launch of ITA as a vital, new market player is in line with the
EU laws on State aid.
"Italy has reassured the European Commission that, at the end of
the Alitalia operations, passengers' rights will be protected,"
the spokesperson added.
Italian trade unions said the new airline was "born weak" and
its business plan was "unacceptable".
ITA got its license to fly last week.
Civil aviation authority ENAC granted ITA its certificate as an
air operator (COA) and its license to exercise air transport.
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