Within the next few months the national carriers ITA Airways and Lufthansa will have to finalize their marriage. How? Making operational the package of remedies proposed by the two spouses in Brussels, on the basis of which the European Commission had authorized the purchase offer of 41% of the Italian airline for a 325 million euro capital increase put on the table by the German company.

"The green light" from Brussels "envisages three important steps. Two concern the implementation of the remedies, the other that of governance". On the first point, "the contracts with the carriers that will have to take over the short-haul routes will have to be formalized within four months. The EU hopes there will be one because it believes this will be more favorable to the market: it will have 30 daily slots at Milan-Linate and will be able open a base there", said the president of ITA, Antonino Turicchi, interviewed by the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera".

"In the long haul -stressed the manager- we must not reduce the offer. In the short haul we have to cut it ourselves and someone else has to put it in. This is why it becomes important to work on the commercial agreement to be signed with the remedy taker". Finally, the governance question: "The statutory changes will be made" which provide for "the expansion of the board of directors". "The two members of Lufthansa will enter, who must be a man and a woman".

On the same topic, see also the article published by AVIONEWS.