MSC Group Expresses Interest to Acquire ITA Airways

MSC Group—the parent company of MSC Cruises and luxury line Explora Journeys—has expressed to the Italian Government its interest in acquiring a majority stake in ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia.

In a statement shared with Travel Agent on January 24, the company said, “The MSC Group aims to create a partnership with the Italian Government and Lufthansa as the project's industrial partner. Lufthansa has already expressed its interest in taking part in the initiative.

“MSC Group's interest derives from the possibility of activating positive synergies for both companies in the cargo and passenger sectors where the MSC Group is a global leader.

“MSC and Lufthansa, following today's expression of interest, require an exclusivity period of 90 business days and are subject to regulatory approvals and due diligence.”

In a press statement of its own, ITA Airways said, "ITA Airways is satisfied that the work carried out in recent months to offer the best prospects to the company is starting to have the expected results, providing for a company recognized as viable for partners of international reputation both in passenger and cargo transport. The Board of Directors will examine the details of the Expression of Interest in an upcoming meeting."

Back in mid-October 2021, Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA Airways) replaced Alitalia. The state-owned ITA Airways was founded in November 2020 and had plans to take over for Alitalia as early as April 2021. A key component of the negotiation between Italy and the European Commission was focused on ensuring ITA Airways was independent of Alitalia, so that it was not liable for paying back billions of euros the old carrier had received in state aid. The new airline is raising capital (roughly $826 million) in order to buy all assets from the old company and begin operating.

That said, ITA Aiways inherited only part of Alitalia's flight slots: 85 percent of the Alitalia slots at Milan Linate Airport and 43 percent at Rome–Fiumicino International Airport. At the start of operations, the airline served 45 destinations with 61 routes, with plans to increase to 74 destinations and 89 routes in 2025. ITA Airways operates a fleet of 52 aircraft, seven of which are wide-body and used for longer-haul routes. The number is expected to increase to 105 aircraft (including 23 wide-body) by 2025; 81 of these aircraft will be new generation.

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