Talks to rescue the bankrupt Italian carrier Alitalia were continuing today as the government threatened a Thursday (September 18) deadline.
The teetering airline is also expected to cancel 40 flights today because of a strike by one of the smaller unions.
A newspaper also reported that revenue officers had raided the airline”s Rome offices yesterday and taken away accounts dating back ten years.
Maurizio Sacconi, Italy”s labour minister, said the airline”s major unions would be called on tomorrow to say whether or not they agree to the rescue plan.
He told an Italian television station: ”By Thursday morning, we'll ask who's on board. We'll sign with whoever's on board.
"That way we will verify the level of consensus and everyone (all the unions) will be called to respond."
The plan put forward by the 16-strong consortium Compagnia Aerea Italiana (CAI) trying to buy the airline, involves more than 3,000 redundancies.
It has been accepted in outline by four of the nine unions at the carrier.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has offered special pay outs to those who lose their jobs but warned the offer would be withdrawn if the airline collapsed.
Augusto Fantozzi, the commissioner appointed after the airline went into receivership at the end of August, has already warned that all contracts would be terminated in November if agreement was not reached.
One oil company has also refused to supply more fuel unless Alitalia produces the cash.
Under the rescue ”1bn plan, CAI would buy up the government”s 49.9% stake in Alitalia and merge its profitable parts with rival carrier Air One.
The unprofitable parts would be liquated.
While deadlines have been imposed and ignored in the past, Mr Berlusconi has repeatedly warned this week that time is running out for Alitalia.
Visit www.alitalia.com.
Stanley Slaughter
ABTN has reported extensively on Alitalia: