Unions accept Alitalia split
Alitalia has persuaded eight of its nine unions to accept the plan to split the troubled carrier into two separate companies.
The unions agreed to the scheme after six hours of talks with Alitalia ceo Giancarlo Cimoli who originated the plan.
Under the deal, Alitalia will be re-structured into AZ Fly which will control the flying operations and AZ Service which will run the ground services like maintenance.
The unions who feared job losses re-structuring on top of the 3,700 they have already agreed to under the rescue plan for the carrier.
But Mr Cimoli said the Italian state which owns 62% of the airline will retain a stake of at least 30% in AZ Fly. In addition AZ Fly will hold a 51% in AZ Service which the unions thought would eventually be privatised.
Mr Cimoli claimed the deal was the only way to secure a 400m which Alitalia needs to keep it in business beyond this month.
But the deal is likely to be studied by rival airlines like BA, which has claimed the re-structuring is merely shifting Alitalia's 1.6bn debt to AZ Service and was in effect another state subsidy, and by the EC.
To add to the airline's uncertainty, Italy's transport minister Pietro Lunardi has suggested according to a leading Italian newspaper Il Tempo that it should loosen its ties with Air France with whom it has a long term agreement and seek a closer alliance with Lufthansa.
Mr Lunardi was quoted as saying that Air France had “not been very open