Northern League Opposes Air France-KLM Bid for Alitalia
24.12.2007 (12:51) | Internaitional Herald Tribune
Officials in northern Italy are uniting in opposition to Air France-KLM's bid for ailing Alitalia, which would make Rome the only hub in the nation at the expense of Milan.The Air France plan - which the Alitalia board indicated Friday was its preferred bidder over the Italian airline Air One - would do away with Alitalia's two-hub system, one at the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome and the other at Malpensa in Milan.
Having a hub in Milan has been fiercely defended by northern politicians, but has been criticized as too expensive and impractical. The Alitalia board, under the chairman, Maurizio Prato, has already signaled its intention to cut traffic to Malpensa.
The Northern League - a party with a strong regional identity - has threatened strikes and blockades in opposition to the Air France bid.
David Boni, an official with the Northern League, said that the Air France-KLM plan would "put out of the game the only hub that could compete on an international level," while costing the north jobs, the news agency ANSA reported Sunday. The Lombardy regional president, Roberto Formigoni, called the board's decision "unacceptable," but noted that the ultimate choice of a preferred bidder for the government's 49.9 percent stake would be made by the government of the prime minister of Italy, Romano Prodi, next month.
He urged Rome not to "hide behind the board's decision," saying it was taking a big risk "if it abandons the most important territory in the country."
Guglielmo Epifani, leader of the CGIL labor confederation, came out Sunday against the Alitalia board's choice, citing the failure to guarantee Malpensa's future or to lay out plans for Alitalia's domestic routes.
"These are the problems that require a national operator to confront," Epifani said, according to ANSA. "That isn't simply a matter of the nationality of the company, but rather to have a response to these concerns."
Under Air France's plan, Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome would be integrated into the Air France-KLM hub network as the primary airport for travelers to and from Italy, and would serve as a gateway to southern and eastern Europe and northern Africa, the Alitalia board statement on Friday said.
"The new group, thanks to the presence of a hub in southern Europe, will improve its position with respect to its European competitors," the statement said.
Air France "foresees an important role" for Milan's two airports, with Linate, located in Milan, focused on business travelers while Malpensa would retain its three principal intercontinental connections to North America, South America and Asia, the statement said.
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