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ITALY-AVIATION
Airline Alitalia ‘on the right track’: boss
ROME, July 8, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The Italian airline Alitalia which went into
administration last May has seen a rise in passenger turnover for the second
month in a row, one of its bosses said Sunday.
The results prove the company “is on the right track,” said Luigi Gubitosi,
who was appointed by the government in May 2017 along with two others to
steer the company then threatened with bankruptcy.
“We end the month of June with a growth of 10.6 percent in passenger
numbers after a 7.6 percent growth in May,” he told the Italian daily
Corriere della Sera.
“Over the second quarter, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and
amortisation (EBITDA) will be balanced after a loss of 100 million last
year.”
The airline which employs more than 11,000 people has struggled to compete
with low-cost European rivals.
It went into administration last May at the request of its shareholders
after staff rejected job and salary cuts as part of a two-billion-euro ($2.4
billion) rescue plan.
It has been the subject of three offers, from German airline giant
Lufthansa, another from US private equity group Cerberus, and a joint
EasyJet-Air France bid.
The deadline for the sale, initially set for April, was postponed until
late October by Rome.
BSS/AFP/SR/1900 HRS