Alitalia chairman says airline needs international partner
forbes.com
ROME - Alitalia SpA, the troubled Italian airline, needs an international partner to compete with other major European groups, said chairman Maurizio Prato in a parliamentary hearing.
Prato said he does not rule out tie-ups with domestic players but the airline's objective is to reach an international alliance.
He said Alitalia is in a comatose state and trying to relaunch it on a standalone basis would be unrealistic.
Prato highlighted that Alitalia has to pay back 320 mln eur in financing in 2008-2009, and 714 mln eur in bonds in July 2010, which cannot be repaid through Alitalia's ordinary results.
