Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) is emerging as the most likely industry partner to team up with struggling Alitalia (AZA, Rome Fiumicino), La Stampa has reported.
The Italian government intends to conclude the talks regarding the new ownership structure of the flag carrier by the end of February. The negotiations are led by the state-owned railway operator, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), which is likely going to be the main stakeholder in the restructured carrier.
FS' executives will reportedly be making a trip to Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson to meet with Delta's management shortly. The American carrier declined to comment on the report.
A partnership with Delta would most likely concentrate on Alitalia's long-haul network. For this reason, FS prefers it to deals with Lufthansa Group or easyJet, which would likely insist on a restructuring and cuts related to Alitalia's short-haul business.
Earlier, the Italian government also sought to approach Chinese partners for a 20-30% stake in restructured Alitalia, although so far these plans have not resulted in an announced commitment.
Delta and Alitalia are both members of Skyteam. The two carriers are currently also members of a transatlantic joint venture which also includes Air France-KLM, although Delta and Air France-KLM are currently seeking to replace this JV with a new one, including Virgin Atlantic but dropping Alitalia, pending the clarification of its future status.
