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carrier and national airline of Italy. The company has its head office in Fiumicino, Rome, Italy. Its
main hub is Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, in Rome and a secondary is Milan Linate
Airport, in Milan. Other focus airports are Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, Milan-Malpensa
Airport, Palermo Airport, Turin Airport and Venice Marco Polo Airport. Tirana Airport is the only
focus city outside Italy. On 30 September 2014, Alitalia's budget subsidiary Air One ceased flight
operations. In 2014, it was the eleventh-largest airline in Europe.
The name "Alitalia" is an Italian portmanteau of the words ali (wings), and Italia (Italy). In late
2013, facing bankruptcy, the loss of a major fuel supplier, and a possible grounding by Italy's
civil aviation authority, the airline announced a 500 million rescue package which includes a
75 million investment by the Italian state-owned postal operator.
On 1 August 2014, the Abu Dhabi-based UAE national airline Etihad Airways confirmed it had
agreed to terms with Alitalia on taking a 49% stake in the Italian airline. This deal was signed on
8 August 2014 and became effective on 1 January 2015.
History
Creation of Alitalia-CAI
In 2008, a group of investors made the "Compagnia Aerea Italiana" (CAI) consortium aimed to buy the
bankrupt Alitalia Linee Aeree Italiane ("old" Alitalia) and to merge these with Air One, another bankrupt Italian
carrier.
On 30 October 2008, CAI offered 1 billion to acquire parts of the bankrupt airline, amidst pilots' and flight crew
members' opposition to labour agreements. On 19 November 2008, CAI's offer was accepted by the bankruptcy
administrator of Alitalia with the permission of the Italian government, at the time major shareholder of the bankrupt
airline. Alitalia's profitable assets were transferred to CAI on 12 December 2008 after CAI paid 1052 million,
consisting of 427 million in cash and the assumption of responsibility for 625 million in Alitalia debt.
A USA diplomatic cable disclosed in 2011 summarized the operation as follows: "Under the guise of a rather quaint
(and distinctly un-EU) desire to maintain the Italian-ness of the company, a group of wealthy Berlusconi cronies was
enticed into taking over the healthy portions of Alitalia, leaving its debts to the Italian taxpayers. The rules of
bankruptcy were changed in the middle of the game to meet the government's needs. Berlusconi pulled this one off,
but his involvement probably cost the Italian taxpayers a lot of money."
On 13 January 2009, the "new" Alitalia launched operations. The owners of Compagnia Aerea Italiana sold 25% of
the company's shares to Air France-KLM for 322 million. Air France-KLM also obtained an option, subject to certain
conditions, to purchase additional shares after 2013.
The "new" Alitalia has not claimed the old Alitalia's history as its own, as can be seen in official documents regarding
the new "Alitalia Group". Instead, they stressed they are a totally different company, as it can be seen in different
occasions. For example, they chose not to recognize benefits such as discounted tickets to former Alitalia-LAI
workers. They also refused to honor passengers' claims against the old Alitalia on this basis.
The new Alitalia doesn't own many of its operating airplanes. Alitalia-LAI instead owned 100% of its airplanes. Almost
every plane that CAI had acquired from the old Alitalia was sold or decommissioned. Instead, Alitalia-CAI airplanes
are leased mostly from Aircraft Purchase Fleet, an Irish company owned by Carlo Toto, the ex owner of the
bankrupt Air One which was merged in 2008 to Alitalia-CAI when the new company was founded.