Alitalia airlines were founded in September 1946 after the end of World War II operating with 4 airplanes of the model G-12 that were rented from the Italian air forces. Alitalia airline suffered from bankruptcy and made its last flight on Thursday 14th October after 74 years of service. The last flight was flown from Cagliari to Rome. Alitalia has been in debt for more than a decade, and made new administration in 2017 and get into bankruptcy after that.

Alitalia replacement by ITA

The airline has been replaced by a new national carrier, ITA, which received 1.35m € from the government to achieve the takeover. The decision was taken at the same time of anger after the declaration that ITA is going to hire only 3.000 employees from the total workforce supposed to be 10.000.

Flight attendants protest

A few weeks before Alitalia had gone, the employees protested in opposition to their treatment. About 50 women of former Alitalia’s flight attendants got rid of their old uniforms. Denouncing the decision and job losses and payment cuts they stand in rows atop Capitoline Hill. The women left their shoulder bags and threw them on the pavement, before removing their jackets, skirts, and heels, wearing their undergarments shouting in unison “We are Alitalia!”. One of the protested flight attendants said that they also suffer from losing seniority, and no one informed them when and where they will be working. They intend to make pressure on the Italian government to extend the unemployment benefits for five years.

Critical points of view

The critics of ITA are skeptical of the viability of the new airline. They said that the size of the company and workforce were designed to attract foreign airlines to handle the takeover. “It is a failed plan from the industrial point of view that doesn’t serve the country, doesn’t serve the community to which an enormous amount of money is asked, that seriously affects the workers.” says union leader Antonio Amoroso. One of ITA’s planes is operating flights to New York, Miami, Boston, and Tokyo from Milan and Rome but also in Europe it includes Frankfurt, Geneva, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, and Paris. The new airline has kept 52 of Alitalia’s 110 planes, according to Reuters. However, it has announced plans for an entirely new fleet of Airbus models, as well as a new livery and Italian-made products from the crew uniforms to the lounge furniture.

Sources

• https://www.euronews.com/
• https://www.boeing.com/
• https://edition.cnn.com/
• https://www.aerotime.aero/ (Cover Photo)