Ita, new trouble for Giorgetti: a letter from Mr. Air Lease
Not only are there legal issues and financial disputes regarding Ita accounts. The successor airline to Alitalia is currently shocked by other information previously kept confidential, as reported by Startmag. However, the most worrying aspect may be Steve Hazy, known as Mr. Air Lease Corporation, one of the most influential figures in the field of aircraft leasing with a fortune in millions. In September 2021, Hazy concluded an agreement with Ita for the rental of 31 aircraft and has hired, through some subsidiaries, the leasing of other older airplanes that were previously owned by Alitalia.
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According to unofficial sources, towards the end of 2023, Hazy sent a communication to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, addressed to Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, in which he would ask the ITA shareholder to outline the Italian company's backup plan in the event that Lufthansa does not participate in the shareholding of the Italian carrier.
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This letter was apparently written following a conversation that Hazy had with Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, a few days before Christmas. During this interview, Spohr reportedly expressed concern about delays in the process due to requests from the European Commission. Again according to rumors, Hazy's letter expresses strong apprehension about the slowdowns in the negotiations between ITA and Lufthansa, highlighting the difficulties that Brussels would have placed the German company in exchange for approval from the Antitrust Commission for the merger with ITA, suggesting the possibility of a withdrawal by Lufthansa if the conditions requested by DG Comp were too burdensome for the assets of the German company.
The rumors about ITA's possible membership of the Star Alliance in the context of the negotiation with Lufthansa are growing stronger, but at the moment they have no basis. Currently, the Star Alliance has not approved any operation of this kind, and such approval could only take place after the green light from Brussels to join the Lufthansa in Italy. Such a bold move could further complicate the evaluation of the dossier by DG Competitionlengthening the procedure times.
If two clues are not enough for a proof, we are close. In fact, while Ita is giving up the Malpensa-New York flight, we are also seeing flights from Ita being moved from Terminal 2F to Terminal 2B at Paris Charles de Gaulle, suggesting a possible departure of Ita from the Franco-Dutch alliance of Sky Team. However, the negative side of this situation emerges: if Star Alliance cannot quickly welcome Ita, the Italian company will face a significant challenge in ticket sales for long-haul flights, since it was Sky Team itself that guaranteed Ita most passenger revenue coming from North America. How will Ita deal with this loss of earnings?
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