ITA won´t be flying until September

ITA, state-owned successor to Alitalia, won’t start flying until September

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Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA), the state-owned Italian airline, will start flying in September, missing the peak summer season reported Corriere della Sera.

The news site said on Saturday, citing government sources, the new state-owned airline that replaces bankrupt Alitalia will only start flying in September.

ITA expected to launch flights in April, but its chief executive said last month services would begin in July. This was as a result of a stalemate between the European Commission and the Italian government over state aid.

ITA CEO wants to start flights soon

CEO Fabio Lazzerini said he wanted flights to start in time for the busy summer season. With low-cost rivals such as Ryanair (RYA.I) expanding their services, it would be the best time to get a foothold.

However, Saturday’s Corriere della Sera said the planned start date had now been pushed back to September. This is due to a lack of progress in the talks between Rome and Brussels.

Strike a deal with Alitalia?

If ITA struck a deal with Alitalia, however, it could start selling tickets for the old carrier while it waits for the EU go-ahead to buy the rest of the Alitalia’s assets, the newspaper said.

Industry Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti is due to meet EU Competition Head Margrethe Vestager in Brussels on Wednesday. Giorgetti is currently responsible for Alitalia’s management.

Alitalia went into emergency administration in May 2017. The fate of the 11,000 employees is still in the balance.

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