Alitalia's successor, Ita, has not yet flown a meter commercially and there is already a violent dispute with the Italian trade unions. The negotiations were interrupted - at least for the time being - with no result.

Both sides make serious accusations and so it is at least not entirely unrealistic that Ita could start a strike right away. This word is not yet being used directly by the employee representatives, but there are hints that appropriate industrial action could be carried out.

One of the reasons for this is that Ita will be significantly smaller than Alitalia, which currently has around 11.000 employees. In the first step, only 2.800 employees are to get a new job with the successor. The unions find this unfair and are now trying to put pressure on the government. To this end, a warning strike has been announced for the entire aviation industry on September 24, 2021. Ita is not expected to start commercially until October 15, 2021. The predecessor, who has been in insolvency proceedings for a long time and is only kept in the air with the help of government aid, is then to be sent into liquidation.

Anger is also directed against the EU Commission

It is also noteworthy that the demonstrations held so far have mostly been held in front of the company headquarters of the new Ita. One also demonstrates in front of EU offices, because the employee representatives of the EU Commission are making allegations. This requires that the name Alitalia must be auctioned and that Ita cannot seamlessly take over everything.

The start-up will initially take off with 52 Alitalia planes, but the fleet will be renewed as soon as possible. The growth should be rather slow. A letter from the management to the employee representatives shows that it is expected to have around 2025 employees in 5.750, which is still significantly fewer than at Alitalia.

Future of Alitalia Cityliner still unclear

According to the latest information, Ita wants to take over from its predecessor 44 Airbus A320s, seven Airbus A330s and one Embraer jet. In the case of the aircraft mentioned last, it has not yet been determined which type it should be exactly. The Brazilian manufacturer has meanwhile also moved out and is making a large order of the E2 series palatable for Ita. Obviously, you don't want to lose your long-standing customer.

With regard to the Embraer jets, which are currently operated by Alitalia Cityliner, some things are unclear anyway. According to reports, many pilots have already signed new contracts with Ita. It is currently unclear whether this company will in any way merge into Ita, continue as a subsidiary or go under in the turmoil of the Alitalia liquidation. Accordingly, it seems a little questionable for what reason exactly an Embraer jet should be floated in at Ita. Cityliner currently has ten Embraer 175s and five E190s in operation. These are considered to be the backbone of the domestic fleet.

In the next few weeks, those in charge of the government and of Alitalia and Ita will still have to clarify. In any case, the unions are combative and it is highly unlikely that they will shy away from welcoming the new carrier's maiden flight with a strike.