Ita is ready to take off on October 15 without knowing what it will be called, but on one point its CEO has clear ideas: to launch an offensive against low cost airlines and the airports that subsidize them as soon as possible. While waiting for the new commercial that will be online without the brand and livery of the new company, the CEO of ITA, Fabio Lazzerini is ready to face a “strategic” chapter for the country, that is the incestuous relationship between low-cost companies cost, local administrations and airports operating under public concession: “Competition is beautiful, but the rules must be the same for everyone – he says speaking during the conference on air transport, World Routes in Milan – it cannot be called the national carrier in winter when there is no traffic, then when low cost airlines arrive in the summer, fill them with money and give them back the following summer ». He adds: “There are embarrassing examples of carriers cutting the ribbon in June and leaving in September. Then the following year the same thing. And from October to June? When you hear “the money thrown into the carrier first and the money invested in the new carrier” I would like to remind you that citizens’ money also ends up in airport incentives ». It matters little that the recovery of tourist traffic in Italy has been supported by low cost airlines which have returned to revise the levels prior to the pandemic. But for Lazzerini “those carriers who take millions from the regions to put a small banner on the sites and promote tourism are the last to speak”. No intention of demonizing the competition, he specifies, because «the competition requires us to be maniacally efficient on the cost side and attentive to the centrality of the customer. To understand where the market is going, you have to get out of the slides and enter real life ». The battle is announced to be close also because there is the chapter of Linate slots to be solved: ITA has managed to snatch “tooth and nail” from the European Antitrust Commission 85% of the slots that belonged to Alitalia, which must sell the other 15% to be redistributed among carriers. Which, starting from low cost, have already said they are ready for anything to secure them. “Linate is a strategic airport for our development – explains the CEO – it will have point-to-point and multi-frequency connections dedicated to business customers, it represents an important asset especially in view of future alliances”. For now, only one daily flight to Malpensa is planned for New York, waiting for the Milan airport to become the hub for cargo in the future “we need to find a strong player because with the growth of the sector there are no planes to buy”. The strategy revolves around Fiumicino, the strategic airport of the new carrier because “the dualism of the hubs has destroyed the company”. After all, with only 52 aircraft from the new fleet just announced by ITA and with the ambition of being a long haul carrier, an alliance is essential. Starting with the commercial ones with international partners from Delta and United, while for the industrial ones the process will begin with the advisors after October 15 to be closed by June next year: “It will be a strategic partnership. a strong alliance “. Lazzerini is confident on the trend of bookings «they are going better than last year. Unfortunately there are no Alitalia tickets for European rules. We counted on it because today to book online you have to be very good. Fortunately we had the support of the trade, but after October 15th everything will change ».
