So, here we are. Lufthansa has officially acquired 41% of ITA Airways. And this has garnered great satisfaction from the Meloni government and from treasury minister Giorgetti. But things are slightly different. The one who is really satisfied is the German airline, as when operations begin it will find it easy to drain traffic out of Italy and pour it into the Germany market.
Understanding this is extremely simple. Lufthansa has done it with all its satellite airlines. And it will do the same with ITA Airways. Which is very unfortunate. We are a country without strategic assets, with the exception of Trenitalia. Which, let me remind you, before the arrival of Mauro Moretti (a former trade unionist at the state railways and therefore someone who knew the company inside out) was among the public assets with the lowest profitability and highest debt. Now things have reversed, thanks to capable managers who know what they are doing.
Which was one of the ills, first of Alitalia, and then of ITA Airways. For years there have been no truly competent managers. Who understand not just the rudiments of air transport, but also what it means to run an airline. Which is not the same thing, because someone who worked in Fiat with difficulty can run an air carrier. The idea that a manager can perform admirably in any kind of company is of course untrue. There is an abundance of evidence supporting this claim, including ITA Airways.
Giuseppe Aloe
Editor in Chief
